Jenova's Children
by Kawaii-n-Junsui
Summary: A KH FF7 crossover. A horrific discovery in Riku's past leads him to follow strange dreams in hopes of finding his true identity, but the will of those infected with Jenova may stand in his way.
1. Distance

**"Jenova's Children" **

**By Kawaii and Junsui **

**Chapter 1 **

**Distance**

It was dark.

A frequent beeping sound was the only thing that reminded Riku he was living, for all his other senses were numb, over-used to the point of breaking. The cold of the metal table he was placed upon had worn away, being replaced but what little warmth his flesh produced. A door creaked open, sending a bit of light over pale blue eyes staring unseeingly into oblivion.

"Hojo! Do you think you're doing the right thing…? He's merely a child and-" A female voice began as the sound of tapping heels rang throughout the room.

"Are you one to speak, Lucrecia?" A male voice replied coldly.

"… I have nothing to say." She replied in an icy whisper.

"The boy has no family. He will not be missed." The male voice said nonchalantly as a blinding light clicked on over Riku.

"Such cold things to say…" She said softly.

"Such cold things you've said to that young man with his eye on you, Lucrecia." The male voice retorted snidely, "Quite the hypocrite today, aren't we?"

She was silent for a long while, and Riku felt a cool hand brush his brow, "Poor child."

"Pity is something that you must shed, Lucrecia, in order to be a woman of science. Pity will only get in your way." There was a click and the low hum of a computer being booted up, and then some frequent tapping on a keyboard.

"Password Accepted." The computer said in an automated voice, "Commencing Project R.I.K.U Jenova #1445 in e minus negative five seconds… four… three… two… one…"

A searing pain shot through Riku as he screamed, a cold sweat breaking out on his body as his vision went completely white…

**

* * *

**

"NO!" The silver-tressed young man bolted upright in bed, his heart pounding out of his chest. Not that dream, again… why had he been having that dream so much lately…? It seemed that it the last time these dreams had occurred this frequently was when he was just a child… but they had eventually died off, with time.

And now they were back. Haunting him with their mere presence. The pounding in his chest had subsided to a mere murmur. He pushed a hand through his silver tresses, now matted with sweat, and looked around his room nervously. It wasn't long ago that he and Sora had returned home from their journey, and the room seemed strangely foreign to him.

He moaned loudly and threw himself back down on his bed, pulling his sheets up to his ears, only to kick them off a second later. He turned on his back and stared at the ceiling, watching the rhythmic motions of the fan and trying to fall asleep. Minutes passed, and Riku could feel no trace of tiredness. This wasn't unusual either. With those reoccurring dreams came insomnia.

In a sudden fit of anger, Riku through back the remaining sheets and stalked down to the kitchen. He pulled open the refrigerator door and stood blinking before it, revealing in the cool burst of air ensnaring his tall, muscular frame. Riku shook himself, hair splaying out to the sides and poured himself a glass of milk and sat at the barstool.

One could say that Riku lived in a miniature palace. He had a master bedroom sized room – if it had been a regular home, of course. Riku also had his own balcony and his own private bathroom as well as a walk-in closet. His mother had the same and together they lived comfortably in their over-sized house. But that's what happens when your father leaves you with his fortune.

An elongated creak caused Riku's head to snap up. He squinted in the darkness, although he could see just fine. The pale light burning from the fridge seemed to frustrate him… it made his eyes burn and his skin tingle… light coursing from the darkness… Riku could feel the injection needles stabbing mercilessly into the skin and the electric currents blast through his veins…

The next thing Riku knew, he was standing up against the ivory door of the fridge, having calmly closed it in his strange attack. His pupils were dilated from the darkness and his breath was heavy and rapid. There was another creak and a woman screamed softly, just before the kitchen light snapped on.

"Oh! Riku… you just about gave me a heart attack!" The pale-tressed woman placed a hand on her chest shrouded in a gray bathrobe. Riku's mother sighed in relief, "I thought you were a burglar… you've gotten so tall and I didn't realize it was you standing in the kitchen…"

Riku watched his mother blather on until she caught herself and folded her arms, giving him a strange look, "What were you doing down here in the dark, anyway?"

Riku turned away from her, silver tresses spilling over his eyes. "I like the dark." He muttered softly, "It soothes me."

The woman frowned and went over to her son, placing a gentle hand on his bare back, for Riku was dressed only in a pair of gray sweatpants.

"There now, son…" The woman said soothingly to him, rubbing small circles on the pale skin, "You look exhausted…. Maybe you should go back to bed."

"Can't." Riku sighed heavily, shaking his head, "Can't sleep."

Heaving a sigh as well, she put her arms around her son's middle and rested a cool cheek on his shoulder, "This is the fifth time this week you've had insomnia…" Riku's mother reached up her face and kissed him lightly on the cheek, "Do you need some sleeping medicine? Maybe we can go to the doctor…?"

"NO!" Riku jumped away from his mother, pulling himself out of her grasp, "No! No doctors!"

Seeing the positively horrified look on her son's face, Riku's mother renounced the idea softly before going over to her coffee machine. Riku cast a worried glance to the floor and traveled over to the wall, placing a single arm above his head as he rested it on the rough surface.

"Ma…" Riku spoke softly, timidly even.

"Yes Riku, baby?" She replied, fetching a cup from the cupboard.

"Ma… tell me about my childhood." Riku muttered just as gently. His mother's eyes widened as she nearly dropped the cup, fumbling with it as she fell to her knees, the thing shattering over the floor.

"Ma?" Riku blinked and ran over to the woman, finding tears slipped down the side of her face, "Ma, what's the matter, are you okay?"

"Riku…" She whispered, "Let's go outside."

**

* * *

**

Riku rested on the ashen-colored concrete balcony; silver tresses blew in the wind, becoming glowing silver streaks in his vision as his mother came up behind him, placing a soft, warm blanket over his shoulders.

"Mom?" Riku uttered softly, turning to her as she put her arms around him, the woman shook her head, pale blond tresses dancing around soft eyelids as she lead him over to the porch swing. The two sat there in silence, moving back and forth, back and forth the slow motion was oddly comforting to Riku. Wind whispered through his ears… the sound gave him comfort as well, it reminded him of bells, which brought visions of a certain brunette-haired girl to his mind. A smile curled onto his lips as his pain was soothed. The pleasant silence was broken by a lone sob from Riku's mother.

"Mom… what's the matter?" He inquired softly, worry building up as his brow furrowed.

"Riku… my little boy." She reached up and took his head in her arms, bringing it down to her chest where she lightly kissed his head several times, shushing and rocking him as she did, "I never knew… I never knew when I'd have to tell you this… but in time, I knew I would…"

"Tell me what, Mom?" Riku's voice was shaking as he looked up into his mother's soft blue eyes, tears sliding down her cheeks as she looked back down at him before sniffing and caressing his face, kissing his forehead lightly.

"Riku… I love you with all my heart and soul. You know that, right?" She whispered, beginning to tremble.

"Of course I do, Mom! What's the matter?" He was beginning to become frightened, what was going on here?

"My baby… nothing can ever, ever come between us…" She continued to rock him, as if the motion was to soothe her more than him, she took a deep, shuddering breath, "Let me tell you a story, Riku. It starts back eleven years ago when I was working at a nurse in Kiana Island General Hospital. There was a little boy there in a coma, and nobody knew where he'd come from or whom he was. He was only about five years old and he bore strange markings. They looked almost like injection marks… we all thought this to be strange. A very kind man whom had found him on the street brought him in. Nobody knew his name, as is origin was unknown. But he did bare a bracelet." At this point, Riku's mother lifted the hem of her nightshirt to reveal a small pocket. Riku frowned, straining to see what the shiny object was that she fished out from it. However, she held it to her chest and continued.

"The poor boy wasn't doing well at all. At one point, his heart stopped entirely… the human body wasn't supposed to handle as much stress as he had, especially at such a young age. The doctors had slowly dropped off of his case, in fact; only one of the four doctors assigned to him remained when he finally awoke. The other three were shocked to say the least when he did – they all expected him dead by the end of the month.

"There were a few things beside for the seemingly hopelessness of it all that caused these doctors to turn away. There were strange… occurrences. You see, we had him hooked up to several machines, one being of course a heart rate monitor. Whenever he had a particular difficult time, he would moan, and then…" She sighed deeply, a chill running down her spine.

"One time all of the glass in the room simultaneously burst as if they had all been struck by a heavy blow. Another time, the cabinet doors flew open and all of the supplies fell to the ground. Other weird things happened throughout the whole hospital after he arrived. Two doctors and a few receptionists and nurses actually quit – they thought the place was haunted or something. Doors would open for no reason, things would go missing, all of the monitors on a certain level would be filled with static, one time a tray rolled down the hall into a closet when it had been standing still.

"Anyways… almost everyone had given up on him. But he was so young and helpless. As you must know, I was one of the main nurses assigned to him. I took sympathy on him, but refused to think too much on the matter. It wasn't until he awoke… I was the first one he saw. He called out to me… he thought I was his mother. I don't know why, but I let him believe that I was his mother. I felt so bad for him, and eventually…" she stopped and looked away.

Riku was eyeing her critically, suspicion etched into his features. "Kaa-san…" he frowned, stepping away. "Kaa-san, you couldn't mean-? Don't say that!" he shook his head in dismay, willing the thoughts to leave him.

"Riku… Riku…" His mother called out to him sadly, extending an arm as if to touch his face. She grabbed his wrist and placed the object she had pulled from her pocket into his palm. He looked at her a moment, fear coursing through his veins as he slowly brought his eyes down to see. It was a bracelet. A twisted black cord with an adjustable knot that was burned into place snaked around to meet the rough edges of a small steel plate. Engraved into the steel were several crude markings. Riku felt his heart stop as everything around him faded away. Etched into the metal was, "J#1445 – R.I.K.U."

He stared down at it disbelievingly. "No…" he whispered, not even hearing his own voice. He couldn't hear or feel anything. The only thing he could see was that bracelet; all he could feel was the faint pounding of his own heart. "NO!" he spat, looking sharply to his "mother". He drew his hand down sharply, preparing to cast the bracelet aside, but at the last moment, balled his fist around it.

"Riku, please!" She begged, a hand to her heart.

"WHY?!" he yelled, hot tears running down his face. "Why did you lie to me?! Who am I really?!"

"Riku, honey, I just wanted to protect you. To give you the life you'd never have had. They'd have sent you to an orphanage, they'd have-"

"SO YOU TOOK YOUR WORK HOME WITH YOU?! I'M ONLY HERE BECAUSE OF YOUR PITY?!" Riku ranted. His vision was blurring now.

"NO! Riku, please!" she pleaded.

"I DON'T WANT YOUR PITY! ALL I WANT IS THE TRUTH!" Riku tore away from the balcony and pushed passed the woman he had considered for so long to be his mother. She reached for his arm, but he wrenched it away and raced down the hall.

"Riku!" She cried, chasing after him. "Riku! Come back!" Riku ran on, turning a deaf ear to her. He came to a forked hallway, and she came up to him.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" he spat, feeling a strong darkness fill him. The woman gasped in shock, as she watched his eyes flicker for a moment, shadowy tendrils ensnaring his body. Riku started, then bolted off in the opposite direction. He tried a door, but it was locked. The next two doors were dead-ends. Not knowing where else to go, he went up a small staircase, running his hand along the mahogany railing.

"RIKU!" his mother called from the base of the steps. As he stared down at her something like scorn or contempt crossed his face.

"What is it that you want from me? How many more lies can you feed me?" he asked in an icy whisper.

The woman below him quailed as a sob wracked her body. "No, Riku… please. I told you that no matter what… I love you more than anything, Riku. More than anything… you're all I have left."

He sneered. "Is that just another one of your lies? You said that you hoped you never had to tell me. Did you plan to keep it a secret for all my life and yours? … I don't need this." The air behind him rented and split into an oval opening of the blackest obsidian. Tendrils identical to the ones that trailed Riku snaked around the wounded fragment of space, and Riku stepped into it without a second look back, not even noticing the hot tears that fell below his feet.

* * *

Beyond the portal lay the road of darkness. The portal snapped shut behind the silver-tressed teen, almost in a zipping sort of fashion. But to Riku, it seemed as if a door had closed. But one door cannot close unless another one opens. When Riku summoned the portal, he had no idea where it was that he had planned to go. He had nothing with him – no food, no extra clothes, no munny, nothing. Just the clothes on his back. But Riku could manage. Traveling alone was a mere cakewalk compared to the horrors that he had had to face before. And for a brief moment, Riku felt untouchable. Like a stone that not even time and blood and chaos could wear away.

With a start, he noticed the feeling of darkness seep into him as his thoughts of power and invincibility grew. He shook it off, feeling a slight twinge of regret as it faded away – it had taken the edge off his nerves and almost made him feel… lost? Riku wasn't really sure. It was true that no one could find him here – only the Organization members could do that, but they were all dead – and he could find his solitude. But Riku was no fool; his time spent with the King hadn't been put to waste.

The impending darkness that lurked in his heart was worrisome enough, spending a lifetime in exile with naught but darkness, as his companion would break him. Yet, at the same time, it felt like home. He needed a dark place, somewhere quiet and secluded, where he could brood alone. He needed somewhere he could think. The answer came to him immediately – the island.

* * *

The island had always been a favorite hangout for the kids at Destiny Islands. Adults only came during festivals, and then only sometimes – the fireworks where most often set off on small ships in between, and from the docks. Therefore it was only kids who knew of the cave hidden by mosses and lichen inside the boulders guarding the waterfall.

Riku knew that Sora and Kairi had come here often as young children, and according to the sketches on the wall, they still did. He eyed a particular picture mournfully – the one in which Kairi and Sora exchange paopu fruits. Riku had felt a strong adoration for the sprightly young teen, something he had never quite been able to shake. But Kairi's heart was connected to Sora's indefinitely, and Riku knew this quite well. He had moved on sense then, but the thought still brought a bitter sting to his heart. After all, it was for Kairi's sake that he allowed himself to become a pawn of the darkness.

He sat down beside the engraving, pressing his back against a boulder, hugging his knees to his chest. His fists tightened in anger, and he felt a swift scraping sensation. Looking down in shock, he saw that he was still holding the bracelet, now smeared with his own blood. He wondered morbidly if it had looked that way when he was found. Suddenly, the normally calming damp odor reminded him of death, and Riku pondered how he even knew what death smelled like. The droplets of water that trickled through cracks in the stone seemed harsh and metallic, and Riku could almost taste it in his mouth.

He spat as a cold sweat soon covered him. He looked back down at the bracelet and saw a flash of light. The cave melted away into a darkened room, the moonlight drifting into lamplight. He raised his arm meekly, and the bracelet was there, hanging around a frail wrist. His eyes widened in surprise. He hadn't put it on… frowning; he stroked the smooth, polished metal… and found only flesh. He blinked hard multiple times and looked around frightened. He was in the cave, and the bracelet laid in his palm, still smeared with blood, edges worn into jagged ends.

His heart was hammering. He HAD just been in a room, had he not? But then how…? Riku gasped as a sharp pain pierced his abdomen. Small pinpricks prodded him as invisible needles speared his skin. He recoiled, drawing into himself, screaming. But nobody was there to help him as his own screams reverberated and echoed off the walls around him, mocking him. As the sensation ended, Riku was crying steadily, rocking himself back and forth until he passed into an uneasy sleep.

**End Chapter 1**


	2. Rebirth

**Jenova's Children **

**By Kawaii and Junsui**

**Chapter 2**

**Rebirth**

Gaia.

Peace had spawned over the earth for a year and all was calm.

For a moment in time, all was still. Time seemed to have slowed to a halt; it seemed as if everything was sleeping, alive, but not living. The soft waves radiating from the Lifestream rippled over the surface of the planet, brushing it with its gentle caress of eternity.

From the core of this still earth, an angry essence rumbled. It cried out in pain from the cosmos and shook the peace with its anguished voice. From the recesses of the darkest pit of the universe echoed a presence, calling forth its remains, which had so been scattered among the remains of this so still place.

Jenova was calling her children.

The lifestream trembled in agony, screaming out in reply, asking for one more chance at life, one more change to set right the lie, which it had been forced to live.

Jenova complied.

Ebony tendrils coursed from the lifestream and collected into a cloudy mass in the green remains of a town once so noble and mechanic. Betrayal and sadness churned in infinite circles for an eternity before it screamed out in one last oath of revenge and the blackness burst forth.

Where the eye of the storm of darkness had been moments before stood a man.

Silken tresses of silver blew around ebony-clad arms and over eyes like a kaleidoscope of emerald and indigo. A feathered wing made of pure ebony hatred twitched softly as it picked up the current of the wind, of the Lifestream, and spread-eagled behind him, the feathers trembling slightly as he extended one arm to the side, light burning in his palm as a lustrous blade two yards long materialized within it.

* * *

Most people spend their lives trying to find what it is we were meant to do. Others already know, and others yet never try. In all of us there is a current, like the Lifestream, always changing and growing. Calling for freedom… for something… else. The warm light of Heaven, the cold harsh depths of Hell. But in between, there is nothing. No feeling, no temperature, just empty space. Drifting for eternity, if eternity itself even exists there. It is neither living nor dead, conscious or sleeping. Simply numb.

If there is anything, it is music. Music of the Earth and Heaven above, the voice of the Lifestream murmuring in the dark. From below, there is a ghastly whisper, calling, taunting. In Betwixt the Worlds, the soul waits. Biding the call, whichever it may choose. Yet some never move on. And for them, all is still. In Betwixt the Worlds, there is a field of flowers, yellow and white stars in a plane of green, white fraying at its corners. There, five such souls rested. A woman donning a dress in the softest shade of rose knelt beside one of the three figures lying upon her field. Smiling softly, she caressed his face, tendrils of her hair tickling his features. A dark haired man stood behind her, arms crossed. He surveyed the other two figures with curiosity brewing in his light eyes. The woman stood and clasped her hands before her, emerald orbs running over the three men.

The blankness that surrounded them infiltrated the field, giving everything a dull but ethereal glow. The already pale skin of the darkly clad men gave them a deathly appearance, but amidst it all, there was a deep feeling of sadness. The woman turned to her companion and sighed softly, laced with regret. He shook his head and draped an arm around her waist.

"You did what you could. They were never supposed to exist… not like this."

"… There is one thing."

Light. Blinding white light, drowning all else in its glory. Slowly, the room came into focus. Once magnificent pillars of white sandstone lay in crumbled heaps, those still in contact were crumbling and cracked. Heavy wooden rafters were creaking as a gentle breeze blew through the tare in the ceiling, a singular pillar crashing through. The wooden floorboards were worn and knotted; the benches were of a similar state, those nearest the impressive front doors where in a broken pile. Consequently, splintered wood layered the area, and everywhere there was dust.

Stained glass windows in small arches lined either wall, one row above the other, almost as if there was an invisible second story. Some were blown out as if by an explosion, multicolored shards scattered upon the floor, catching light of both sun and moon and casting color upon the weary walls. In the very front, an alter once stood, and before it, a multitude of flowers. But now there was only water. Crystal clear, eerily smooth water. Only four feet below every flower could be seen, preserved by the water like amber. Light danced amid the area like the distant ripples of a long forgotten dream.

There was a groan somewhere. A mass of silver flecked with orange, green, and blue light and dark material came into sight. A dark, leather-clad hand. It twitched. Was this my hand? I flexed it. It had to be. Getting up, I took my first uneasy step. I had been here before. But it had to be a dream, hadn't it? And who where they? I looked at the two similarly dressed men below me. Slowly, words drifted back to me. But they were not my own, but that of a woman's _Jenova… Geostigma… brothers… the nightmare… remember… Mother…Heaven's Dark Arpenger… the calamity… Nebelheim… Kadaj?_

I gasped without realizing it, clutching my head in shear agony, collapsing to the ground. Images of myself flashed through my mind, nothing truly in focus. A light haired man with a determined set, small children, shining trees, and dark cloak, a man veiled by some unseen object, dark blemishes, a box that called to me. What was this? Why do I feel like this? And then I knew. These were my memories. Even as my world faded out to black, something tickled the back of my mind. Something foreboding that was just beyond my grasp. Was it him?

* * *

Dewy blue eyes shot open as Cloud slowly sat up in bed, running a hand through his spiky, flaxen tresses. A cold sweat at the nape of his neck uncomfortably plastered hair to the place before he brushed away the moisture, frowning slightly. Throwing the sheets below his knees, Cloud sat up and twisted his lower body, hanging his legs above the floor before standing and glancing out the window, streaks of moonlight mixed with early sun from in-between spaces in the thin blinds.

"Cloud?"

Cloud closed his eyes, "Yeah, Tifa?" He inquired softly in reply. The brunette woman sat up in bed, blinking chocolate orbs in a disoriented way as she groaned sleepily.

"What's the matter? Come back to bed…" She muttered sleepily. Cloud sighed and shook his head slowly.

"I'm not tired." He grumbled, looking down at the floor.

"Okay, if you say so." Tifa yawned, lying down on her pillow, shifting in place. Not long after that, she fell still and drifted off. Cloud shivered, unnerved. He glanced through the thin slits of light the blinds produced. He couldn't tell her what he felt. He didn't want to worry Tifa… but if what he felt had been true, she wouldn't be safe for long.

"Sephiroth…" Cloud's aquarian eyes narrowed as they coruscated lightly in the rising sun.

* * *

Something was shaking me awake. I groaned and rolled over, staring at the floor. I was still in the church. Had I fallen asleep? No… I passed out. Turning to face whatever had awoken me, I found the other two men. They were looking at me with curious expressions, slight traces of confusion and weariness becoming more apparent by the second. The one with longer hair bent over and apprehensively looked into my eyes.

"So… are you alright?" his voice was low and silky. I frowned as thoughts trickled out of my mouth.

"…Brother?" I asked. He looked taken aback and traded glances with the shorter haired one.

"…Brother." He said slowly, as if choking out a foreign language. More pictures flashed before my eyes, but this time, they were my own, from my own perspective.

"YAZOO!" I shouted suddenly, causing him to recoil. Yazoo looked at me and nodded curtly.

"Yes… I am Yazoo." He paused. "Is Mother safe?" he looked startled at his own words.

"Mother…" I breathed. I looked at my other brother. "Loz? Is it Loz?" Loz looked to Yazoo, who nodded.

"Yeah… Loz." He said in a thick voice.

"Mother." I repeated. Why did that hit me so? I certainly couldn't remember my mother – was that it? Had she died? Why couldn't I remember? I started as I found Yazoo at my side.

"Are you alright, brother?" he asked with worry.

"Kadaj." I said numbly. "My name is Kadaj." Yazoo's cattish eyes widened as flashed with white light. He fell back with a jolt; Loz was having similar afflictions. "YAZOO!" I screamed, bending over him. He blinked hard as the white mist cleared, tears running down his cheeks silently.

"Brother… Kadaj." He whispered, looking at me strangely. "I… check on Loz." He cut off. My brows knitted together, but I did as he asked. Loz was fine, but he just lay there. He looked at me with an almost empty expression. By this time, Yazoo was back at my side. We all sat in a circle and stared at each other. My brothers were quiet, and I just fingered the floorboards waiting for someone to speak.

"So… what did you see?" I asked solemnly.

"What do you remember about yourself before you woke up here, Kadaj?" Yazoo asked unexpectantly.

"Well…" I looked at him sharply. "I… I don't know." I looked to Loz, panicked. "Do you know? Tell me!"

"It's all right, brother." Yazoo said soothingly, placing a hand upon my arm. "What do you know about a company called 'Shin-ra'?"

"Shin-ra Electric Power Company?" I said out of the clear blue.

"Yes!" Loz nodded eagerly.

"Shin-ra… there's a man there, isn't there?" I asked, biting my lip.

"Yes, Kadaj. What can you tell us about him?"

"Well he… wait! There are two. Yeah… that's right. Two of them. One of them – " I convulsed I saw twisted flames in my mind's eye. A lone figure crept out from the darkness with a deadly swagger. Somehow I knew that he was covered in blood. Long, shimmering tresses lay unscorched and instead seemed to radiate. He drew a long glinting katana up towards his chin and his eyes rose to meet mine as if he could see through me. "HIM!" I shouted out. Yazoo jumped back in alarm and held my arms, shaking me, trying to look into my eyes.

"Kadaj! It's alright Kadaj! He's not going to – KADAJ!" I stared back at him with what most have been horrified eyes.

"Yazoo, Yazoo, Yazoo…" I repeated in a small voice that was not my own. "Don't let him… I don't want … I… I'm scared."

"Kadaj…" he trailed off, his eyes misting up, seeing me in so much pain. He pulled me towards him and cradled me. I let him and suddenly felt very small and vulnerable. I could remember. And this time, I could remember everything.

* * *

Wind buffeted Cloud as he sped along the barren wasteland. Dusty brown stone grew out from the equally dusty ground in strange spires. Dawn was just breaking on the horizon; it was early enough for the stars to still show. Cloud sighed, kicking Fenrir into a higher gear. Something was calling him, of all places, to Midgar. The last time he had visited the ruined city was one year ago, when he was still hiding. When he was still in love with Aerith. And in a way, he still was. When you love someone that love never truly dies. Cloud wondered off handedly if that bond was still there, and, if so, that Aerith was able to reach him because of it.

But Cloud was sure that Aerith didn't do the summoning – not this time. He hadn't wanted to worry Tifa back home, but… he sighed heavily. If he could go to Midgar and back soon enough, she'd never know the difference and he'd be able to rest easily. But still, thoughts of Sephiroth lingered in the crevices of his mind. It was also a year ago that he had faced Sephiroth in a final battle, inflicting Sephiroth with mortal wounds, and thereby killing the vessel he had chosen – a young man by the name of Kadaj.

Vincent had told him how he figured Kadaj and his two companions had come into existence. When Sephiroth vanished into the Lifestream, he had taken Jenova's head with him. To keep from going insane and deteriorating within the Lifestream, he had to overcome it. He overcompensated and his spiritual being split into three separate pieces. By this time, the majority of Jenova's cells had already been absorbed. The Lifestream held the souls of those that had passed, whether they were to move on, stay, or be reincarnated. The three parts of Sephiroth floated through the current and rested within the souls of three separate individuals, bringing their former selves back to the planet, but as different people. Judging by their reactions, their memories had been suppressed as well.

Cloud looked away in slight shame. Who had they been? Were they really innocent? After all, he could relate. No, he shook himself. Sympathy would get him nowhere, what those three had done was unforgivable. Simple as that. Focusing his attention at the task at hand, he maneuvered expertly through colossal towers of twisted metal and desolate buildings. In the early morning, the abandoned city looked unnerving. Shadows loomed in every corner and crevice, once proud buildings lay crumbling and torn. Nothing was how it used to be, and maybe, things never would be.

Screeching to a stop in front of Aerith's church, Cloud dismounted and removed his riding goggles, slinging them over the clutch. His eyes roamed the impressive front. Even in all of the destruction, the church still held a sort of beauty – Aerith's beauty, Cloud decided. He pushed open the wooden doors; they groaned sadly, slowly admitting him entrance. The last thing that Cloud expected to see in the place he held most sacred was the three men whom he despised, sitting on the floor, looking helpless and frightened.

* * *

Something jarred me from my comforting thoughts; it was the sound of an engine. It roared and reverberated through the metallic city, but still, it seemed to get closer. I felt my heart racing and I wondered why I should react so violently to this. The engine stopped and after a moment, the great doors creaked open revealing a man, shock written all over him. I looked at Cloud silently, judging how he was assessing the situation, prepared to react accordingly. He stared at the three of us a while more, eyes flitting from one of us to the next. Finally, his gaze rested on me, and all that was there was sheer discontent. I returned his scathing glare, recalling all our fights.

A sneer crept onto my lips, and I drew away from Yazoo. His hand reached out for me, silently calling me back, but I ignored it. All I cared about was getting even with the blonde before me. Automatically, I reached back and drew out my double – bladed katana. Shouba had aided me through many battles, even those I just now remembered.

I ran a gloved finger over the topmost blade and drew the blade downward in a slicing motion. Cloud grimaced and drew his sword, holding it before him and standing sideways to me. I snarled and jumped at him; he tensed and I laughed. Frowning, he backed away slightly, probably thinking that I had gone mad. "You knew, didn't you?" I snarled. He gave me a look of mixed confusion and hate that was hilarious enough to provoke a snort from me.

I shook my head. "But you chose to hide it. Let's not tell the poor little remnant anything. Making him suffer should be much more amusing!" My lips curled in disgust. I had never felt so angry in my life. Cloud squinted his eyes.

"What -?" But I didn't let him finish before I charged him. His eyes widened in surprise and he narrowly stepped back from being slicing open with my Shouba. I grunted, falling short and being forced to spin around rapidly to avoid Cloud attacking me from behind me. Sometime during our short conversation, Yazoo and Loz had risen to their feet and had drawn their weapons as well.

Holding Shouba backwards in my hand, I blocked Cloud's succession of blows. I flipped the blade into a normal hold, using my palm as a pivotal base, and slashed at Cloud's chest, cutting away at the leather straps over his chest. He inhaled sharply, his form of a gasp, and shrugged off the leather sheaths, being no more than a burden to him now. I forced him back to the water's edge, Yazoo and Loz framing either side.

He seemed to have realized his predicament, and stilled, sword still held in a fighting stance. Unsure of what to do, I charged him. He smirked and bunched, springing at me at the last second and pushed me to the ground in mid-jump, flying passed me. He whirled around and lowered the blade's tip to my unprotected throat. I glared up at him with as much distaste as I could muster, seeing no difference in his placid orbs. He looked to my brothers uncertainly, and then back at me.

I relaxed and smirked at him triumphantly. "Go ahead, kill me. You think it's really going to make a difference? He's not here… not any longer. Once I'm dead, my brothers will see to the end of you." Cloud's eyes met mine, and for once, I saw how startled he was. He sheathed his massive sword and licked his lips once or twice. I picked myself up as nonchalantly as I was possible at the time, ignoring the bruise that was forming on my shoulder beneath the leather.

"Where is he?" Cloud barked.

"… Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Tell me!" he ordered angrily.

"Truth is, I really don't know."

"NOW!"

"Don't care either." He growled at this and went for his sword.

"My brothers will still avenge me." I reminded him. He sighed in frustration, and then reached inside his cloak. In his hand was a cell phone. He looked to me as if daring me to make some sort of retort, then punched in a number. After a while, he spoke.

"Tifa? Yes, I'm fine… sorry. I… never mind, just… something's come up. Call Vincent, he's got a cell now- number's in the phonebook. They're back. No, Kadaj and his gang. … I don't know… somewhere." He muttered this last part darkly. I figured he was referring to _him_. "You understand, don't you? Vincent will handle this; I have to leave for now. You too. …I don't know. Bye." He murmured sadly. He hung up and returned the phone, his inner thoughts still bleeding through, even as he drew his sword and faced me once more. "I killed you once, I can do it again."

"To what point?" I challenged. I had already told him that _he_ wasn't here. Cloud looked taken-aback. I suppose he wasn't looking for a reason.

"You're a threat to Edge and it's inhabitants. We won't forget what you did last time, you're presence is intolerable here." He said after a long pause. "You shouldn't even be here."

"But we are." I said cockily. "Bet you'd like to know why, too."

"Hm." Cloud snorted, trying not to sound too interested or admit to my being right. I grinned and attacked him, catching him off-guard, but drawing the response that I was waiting for. He lashed out and struck me across the chest, leaving a trickling river of blood that rippled against the shiny surface of my clothing. Loz cried out to me, rushing over to help me, and Yazoo stood shell-shocked. I couldn't blame them; the attack that Cloud had dealt was simple for someone of my skill to dodge. Cloud seemed to see this too and looked as lost as ever.

Then something occurred that even I had not expected. She had given me her promise, but I had never have imagined anything quite so grand. The once still water churned and grew into a tall, solid wall. Elegant tendrils branched out and enveloped me, working it way along my injury. I put a hand over my chest, watching in disbelief as the wound stitched itself closed seamlessly, leaving only stale blood in it's wake. The water faded back and settled into the pool once more.

Cloud gaped at me, evidently hurting greatly. "Aerith." He breathed. "Why… why would she bring you back?"

"She took pity on us." Yazoo spoke up, his voice thick.

"No." Cloud argued. "No. She would ne-" But just then, a swirling mass of crimson velvet whirled through the doorway, bullets ricocheting off the walls. Exasperatedly, I ran towards the door, deflecting any bullet that came my way. My brothers followed suit, Yazoo stealing Loz's gun and returning fire with it and Velvet Nightmare. And in moment's, Yazoo and I were speeding out of Midgar upon Fenrir, Loz running inhumanly fast beside us.

* * *

Vincent reassumed his human form and paced over to where Cloud sat on a bench. His friend looked absolutely torn. After all of the fighting, all the destruction and chaos, there was peace, only to be snatched away from him. Vincent knew of Cloud's plans to propose to Tifa, of the love that he harbored for her. If only he wasn't so afraid of potentially breaking his promise to her that he would never hurt her by admitting his love for her. By taking a risk and let her in. For all of Cloud's courage, he was still so reclusive.

Vincent sat beside the towhead at peeked over at him. "You're doing the right thing, Cloud." Cloud nodded slowly, not really listening. "You've got to take care of the now, before it's too late. Never do something that you might regret." The scarlet clad man leaned back, staring off into space forlornly. "Never make that mistake. Listen, I'll cover this. Leave Kadaj and the others to me. I know you sense Sephiroth too, it's doubtful that those three can't feel him as well."

"Do you think… do you think Aerith really did bring them back?" Cloud inquired softly. Vincent shot him a surprise glance.

"Aerith?" he murmured. "Kadaj never knew Aerith, perhaps he's not lying?"

"What I don't understand is why." Cloud sighed fitfully, tugging at his cloak.

"Sometimes things happen even if they don't make sense to us at the time." Vincent said sagely. "Everything happens for a reason."

"I wonder if I'll have to fight him again." Cloud mused.

"It's plausible, but frankly I don't know why he can't stay dead." Vincent shrugged. "Perhaps he has yet to fulfill his destiny, or it could be that we have yet to find the true way to lay him to rest."

"If physical assault doesn't cut it, what other option do we have left?" Cloud burst, standing up abruptly. He paced irately, pausing to crack his back.

"We can't leave Kadaj and the others unchecked in Edge. Or anywhere for that matter. Aerith clearly wants them kept alive, doing anything that could be detrimental to their well being will be ill received."

"So we are to protect them?" Cloud frowned.

"I don't see any other option. If nothing else, to keep tabs on them, keep them from the eyes of the public for as long as possible or necessary. Hopefully, that will not be for too long."

"I'm going to Hollow Bastion." Cloud announced, stopping his pacing. "Others have gone there, I might find some answers."

"How, might I ask, they took Fenrir." Vincent smirked slightly. Cloud sighed remorsefully.

"The only way – by Gummi."

* * *

I looked at the scattered glass bottle beneath my feet, letting Shouba's tip glint in the sunlight. My brothers and I had finally come to the city of Edge, consequently, Cloud's current home. We had wondered if the residents would recall or fear us, but surprisingly, we received neither. It seemed as if everyone had a place to go, and they all looked to the ground as if in shyness or fear. That was it. Fear. The city was rank with it – it was obvious by the large gashes rendered into the atmosphere here that something had occurred that was great enough to change the personalities of all the citizens within. Once or twice a person would stare at us with a flicker of realization before going off to a more important place.

I kicked the glass scornfully. Such pitiful people. How I hated them. Did they all know about me? That Rufus Shin-ra. He knew all along and used me as no more than a pawn. Was that all I was to everyone? And what of my brothers, who had even less importance in the grand scheme of things than I. What did they amount to?

In fascination, I watched as the litter scattered around the glass burst into flames from my sword's glare. The tiny bits of fire spread rapidly to a discarded newspaper and burned brightly. Yazoo may have made an attempt to stop me, or maybe it was Loz, I can't recall, but within seconds, I had hurled it within the nearest building. In mere seconds, it was a towering inferno. There were loud pops muffled by the roar of falling beams – gunpowder. The windows blew out and billows of black smoke escaped from them, pouring into the air in a dark beacon.

Yazoo dragged me back to safety, frowning with worry. I broke from his clutch and tore down the street. I stopped half way and grinned wickedly. All of these people. How many had known? How many profited from my misery like some sort of sick joke? And then I knew that I was going to make them pay for what they had done to me. I picked up more litter and found a lighter outside a store window.

Smashing through the window with a powerful kick, I hurled the now lit piece of paper inside. This was a liquor store. After a few seconds, there was a satisfying sound of an explosion, followed in short succession by a large chain reaction. The wooden roof caved in after a short while later, sparks jumping and igniting on nearby buildings and flammable crap that the people had so carelessly discarded.

Nearby was one of those cars. Shin-ra had created them, and there weren't that many. I knew little of it, only that Shin-ra was it's maker and that it ran with by product of the Lifestream and gasoline. I ran, looking over my shoulder as it exploded loudly, reveling in the horrified screams of passersby. I pulled to a stop in front of what was now a half-ring of fire, grinning sadistically. Yazoo and Loz were nowhere to be found, and for once, I couldn't care less.

I fell forward as something hit me strongly across the back of my head. My eyes went temporarily out of focus; all I could see was black. Apparently, this gave my attacker enough time to flip me around and pull up at the front of my clothes with a golden gauntleted arm. When my vision cleared, I was staring into a pair of enraged crimson eyes framed by feathery black tresses. I was sure I had seen this man around somewhere before, then recalled Cloud. This was his buddy, that …Vincent, was it?

Vincent glared at me suspiciously, looking down at the lighter in my hand. He plucked it from my grasp, looking it over a moment, then tossing it aside, glowering into my face. "Idiot!" he hissed. I decided to keep quiet and let him speak. "What the hell were you thinking?" I couldn't hold back any longer.

"I was making those fools pay for all the crap that I had to suffer through. For lying to me, for pulling me apart and destroying everything that I had ever held dear." I spat, surprised by my own conviction. Vincent sniffed, and through me to the ground roughly.

"How stupid, could you accomplish any more foolish of a task? If my theory is correct, then it's Shin-ra you should hate, not these people. Shin-ra and Sephiroth." I flinched against my will upon hearing his name. He had always been there, lingering in the back of my mind. Well, not always, but the last time… it was unbearable. Then to have him use me as he did… I felt nothing but fear towards him now, all respect gone.

"You think that you're the only one with any problems?" Vincent started to raise his voice, he was really getting mad. "You think that just because he's a part of you that you have the right to take it out on others? You're no better than he is then." He spat. I sat below his glare, dumbfounded. I couldn't recall a time that anyone had ever spoken to me in that way; I must have been really little at the time if I had.

Soundlessly, I stood up. What he said made sense, but I could still feel the waves of supreme anger flowing deep within me. Just then, Loz and Yazoo rounded the corner. Yazoo cried my name and ran to me, stopping halfway and glancing at Vincent nervously. Vincent stepped back expectantly. Somehow, we all knew what it was he wanted, and we followed him willingly, a new goal forming.

* * *

Tifa was cleaning the bar, readying the Seventh Heaven for her visitors that day. The tables had been polished clean, the bar stools checked for rips, the bar taps cleaned, the glasses organized into rows. Everything was ready. The bell above the front door rang clearly through the empty room. Tifa smiled and looked up. "Hey, welcome to the Sev - oh!" she stopped short, eyes widening in shock as Vincent entered, followed closely by three very familiar silver haired men.

"We're going to need your help." Vincent stated plainly, dragging the three men upstairs to the living quarters without awaiting the barmaid's reply. Huffily, Tifa turned the sign to "Closed" and ran up the stairs, going two at a time. The door to the room she and Cloud shared was standing ajar, the men with the shortest hair standing outside it. She recognized this one as "Loz".

Shooting Loz a questioning glance, she slipped into her bedroom to see Vincent already riffling through Cloud's dresser. "Vincent! What on Earth…?" Tifa began.

"Aerith brought them back. All we can do is keep them alive and out of direct eye of the public, which would probably have been a lot easier if Kadaj hadn't decided to pull such a stunt as to burn down a few buildings." Vincent replied hotly.

"What?" Tifa gasped in alarm. Kadaj huffed from his reclined position against the wall, folding his arms over his chest. Vincent continued.

"In any case, if Aerith brought them back, then she had a reason. No point in going against her wishes, we need to help them blend in as much as possible."

"Should we dye their hair, or get them contacts?" Tifa suggested.

"While their eyes are distinguishing, you don't really notice them right off. As for their hair, plenty of kids change their hair to strange colors these days anyways."

"So what do you want me to do?" Tifa inquired, cocking her head to the side thoughtfully.

"Help me find clothes for them. You'd know best what would fit each of them best. We don't know how long we'll have to keep them here, but Cloud said that they can leave once he comes back."

"Hell no!" Kadaj retorted, standing up. "No way am I staying here until Chocobo-head decides to mosey on back!"

"Would you rather live on the streets and risk attracting attention?" Vincent replied coolly. "Or perhaps it would be more to your liking to try to steal enough money to afford a place to live?" Kadaj glowered at Vincent, trying to pierce through his back with his stare.

Tifa reached around Vincent. "Here, these might fit Loz, I recall them being large on Cloud." She pulled a pair of semi-baggy dark-wash pants out of a drawer and handed them to Loz. Loz inspected them gratefully, smiling and the cold metal chain that looped from one belt ring to another. With this, he also received a loose white T-shirt.

For Yazoo, there was a dark red turtleneck sweater, similar to the navy blue one SOLDIER wore, and denims. Yazoo was Cloud's size for the most part, and was happy to find that much of the clothing there would be available to him. Lastly was Kadaj. His clothes were reminiscent of Tifa's adopted child, Denzel. He had baggy black jeans that would have fit Yazoo better because of the length, a black shirt, and a red hooded jacket.

Each of them also was allowed access to many of Cloud's various accessories; Yazoo took a fancy to the silver and gold plated watch that Cloud seemed to never wear, Kadaj to the dog-tags had they not been for SOLDIER, Loz to the unused black leather wallet, and so on. Tifa sighed and looked at her finished project, Vincent placing a hand on her shoulder as a sign of gratitude and comfort. Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo stood and looked at each other, feeling uncomfortable in such different attire and more than a little disoriented and tired from the long chain of events that day had brought them.

"You guys are tired, huh?" Tifa said softly, surprised by her own sympathy. Yazoo nodded hopefully, causing Tifa to giggle a little. "It's okay, if you're all to stay here, then you might as well take up a room. You have to understand though – I charge rent for rooms, even for one night. I know that you don't have any money, so as payment, I expect you to be well behaved and help around the bar. If you're not going to pay for the rooms, then you have to pay it off in some way that's useful to me."

Vincent watched her lead them to their rooms and return back to straighten out the disarrayed dresser. "Tifa?" he prodded.

"Hmn?"

"Is the bar still closed?"

"Oh crap!"

**End Chapter 2**


	3. Tourniquet

**Jenova's Children **

**By Kawaii and Junsui**

**Author's Note: **Kawaii-chan here! Thank you al so very much for the nice reviews! Reviews are greatly, greatly appreciated! Ahhhh, so very clever all of you are. ;) I'll try not to be confusing and ass breaks in-between scene changes this time around. always deletes ours. Sorry about the long wait in-between chapters, I blame Final Fantsy on the playstation and school XD Hmm... a very interesting chappie here, the beginning part is not intended for the squimish (sp?). Hm, lots of Riku angst... also some... erm... _interesting_ jokes towards the end... hoo lordy... XD I love the humor in these things...

**Chapter 3**

**Tourniquet**

Pain.

What a craving in the depth of the heart… what an unholy thing to wish upon oneself… but in a way… a greater pain can cancel out the smaller ones… yet what is greater pain that betrayal… than to find you were living a lie?

The crimson blade tipped with indigo materialized in his grasp.

An angel's wing curled off of the end of the Keyblade, mocking him, taunting him, tempting him. Riku rolled around running his hand along the length of the flat side of The Way To The Dawn. His fingers traced the azure lines until he found the ivory wing, sharpened and cruel in a way that mocked its purity and innocence.

Purity and innocence a child had once shown when he called a complete stranger "Mother"…

It was a double-edged sword.

Riku braced himself against the wall of the cave, the pictures around him depicted happy memories of blissful childhood… a childhood that was a lie… even the pictures behind him seemed to taunt him about the unknown.

Riku raised the Keyblade and pressed the unholy cold against his wrist, the ivory blade punctured his skin, drawing forth the scarlet liquid of existence. Riku hissed cold air through his teeth, drawing the angel's wing back sharply as his body wept out its crimson tears. Life spilled from his veins as he cut again and again, until his arms were littered with cuts above and around the pale scars of hurt when he'd attempted to cut himself before…

But this was different.

Who was he? Where did he come from? Why did all those strange things happen to him as a child? Were these things part of the reason he loathed doctors? Part of the reason he was horrified of the light in the everlasting darkness? How was it that getting a single shot terrified him so, when he could sit there and pull his own life away? Was any of this connected to his attraction to the darkness, his lust for power?

So many questions pulsed in the mind of the silver-tressed teen. He couldn't do anything accept sit here and let himself bleed. It was pitiful. Tear began to form in orbs of icy azure as they slowly rolled down Riku's cheeks.

* * *

Kairi brushed red tresses out of her violet orbs as a sheet of sea spray hit her face. Above her in the pale azure sky, ivory seagulls squawked handsomely, soaring around in loops and coming the rest on the wooden railing of a nearby walkway. Sora reached over and laced fingers with Kairi as they swung their hands, traipsing along the pale white sands of the beach; the crashing of crystal clear waves serenading their ears.

"Nnn, this is why I love the beach." Kairi cooed softly as Sora grinned and pecked her quickly on the cheek.

"Well, I love it even more when you're here with me." He smiled softly as Kairi turned towards him, their noses brushing lightly. Sora blinked and stared at his ruby-tressed love as their eyes misted, he began to go in for a kiss, but hesitated and pulled back a bit, yet went in again so that their lips met. Kairi eagerly kissed back as Sora captured her lips in-between his, forcing his strong tongue into her mouth as she met the dull taste of his saliva, not liking it when he 'frenched' her, but enjoying the sensation at the same time nevertheless.

"Let's go get something to drink, okay?" Kairi inquired as Sora lightly kissed her cheek several times; she giggled pleasantly, feeling his soft barely grown in facial hair brush up against her cheek.

"Okay." Sora breathed into her ear as he intertwined arms around the girl, kissing her neck before they broke away, joining hands once more and beginning their trek to the marketplace, "What do you want?"

"Umm… how about a Strawberry Snow with boba?" Kairi mused lightly as they approached the small drink stand.

"Sure thing." Sora ordered Kairi's drink (large-sized, or course) as well as his (chocolate snow with boba). As the cashier asked for nine hundred munny, Kairi reached for the violet pouch she kept her munny in on her hip, but Sora put a light hand on hers, shaking his head, "I'll pay."

"Oh! So_ra_ you don't have to-!" Too late. Sora placed the colorful coins on the stand as the vendor collected them and thanked him softly, beginning to prepare their drinks. Kairi glared at her brunette-tressed boyfriend, "Sora! You didn't have to do that!"

"Oh, but I did." Sora smirked, sneaking a quick kiss from her before Kairi blushed and whispered thanks into his ear. The boba-drinks were served up several minutes later and the plastic tops were then impaled with sharp, large straws capable of slurping up the large tapioca balls.

"Where to now?" Sora inquired as they swung their hands.

"Um… how ab- oh! Look its Riku's Okaa-san!" Kairi pointed with a finger raised off of her drink towards a fruit vendor.

"Please! Tilmitt-san, I'm begging you, have you seen my son?" Riku's mother inquired to the man bagging paopu fruit.

"Sorry, Tsubasa-Sensei." Selphie's father replied, genuinely concerned, using a polite term for a doctor or nurse for Riku's mother, "I haven't seen Riku-kun around lately, but I'll let you know if I do see him."

"Thank you, Tilmitt-san." Mrs. Tsubasa bowed appropriately to the man. As she turned around, her blue eyes widened, "Oh! Hikari-kun! Yotsuyu-chan! Have you seen Riku-chan around?"

Sora looked to his girlfriend, whom frowned and shrugged, he looked back to Mrs. Tsubasa, "Gomen nasai, Tsubasa-san. We haven't seen him lately… why? Did something happen?"

"Riku… last night… he ran away." Mrs. Tsubasa bit her lower lip in nervousness, "I've been looking around for him ever since."

"Why… why did Riku run away?" Kairi inquired, her brow knitted in worry. Mrs. Tsubasa glanced away in nervousness.

"I-" She began in a feather-soft voice, "I… told him that… he's adopted."

Kairi gasped, her violet orbs widening in shock. Sora's unreal blue eyes did the same as he gaped at the woman. "_What_?!"

"Yes." Mrs. Tsubasa stared at the ground, feathery tresses of flaxen hair falling over her light sapphire eyes, "He… he ran off right after that and…" She looked up at them, frowning as warm years rolled down her cheeks, "He… disappeared through this black… portal."

Kairi gasped once more. Mrs. Tsubasa started, "Do- do you know what that was?!"

Sora looked down at the ground, "Yes." He muttered softly.

"Do… do you know where he is?" Mrs. Tsubasa reached out and took Sora firmly by the shoulders, her eyes wide and serious.

Sora closed his own blue eyes and shook his head, "No."

Mrs. Tsubasa sighed dejectedly, her tense body falling limp, "Please… help me find my son."

"Gomen nasai, Tsubasa-san, demo…" Sora trailed off. "Riku-kun… he could be anywhere by now." He gave her a pleading look.

"Noni? Anywhere? But how…?" Kairi could feel hot tears tingle the back of her eyes as she watched the heart broken woman.

"That dark portal." Kairi began. "Riku… he was able to summon it. He was submerged in darkness so long that he grew to control it. The paths of darkness connect places that have no bonds otherwise. He could go anywhere through there, and only another darkness user would be able to pursue him."

"Then how am I…?" Riku's "mother" sighed dejectedly. "I just want to tell him that I'm sorry. That's all. He can go anywhere he wants, I just want him to know that I always loved him, as if he were my own son. And he was too, just not through birth. He's the only son I could ever have had…" she trailed off, tears streaking down her pale cheeks.

Kairi stifled a sob and sung her arms around the woman, drawing her into a hug. "Oh, Tsubasa-san!" she cried. Sora stood dumbstruck watching the women. _Riku… adopted?_ It just didn't seem to compute. _I guess I would run away too, if I knew that but – _he looked out into the horizon. _– I could never leave the ones I love. Riku's not like me, he can leave and never come back. He can shut it all out, go through pain, and_… enjoy_ it._ Sora felt his stomach churn sickeningly. If they didn't find Riku soon enough… he shuddered.

"It's alright, Tsubasa-san." He quipped. "We'll find Riku. I think I know where he may be." The woman looked up hopefully.

"Bless you Sora." She whispered soulfully. "I hoped that you two might know something, being so close to Riku and all."

"Sora…?" Kairi asked slowly, fear dawning on her face. "You're not suggesting that…?" Sora nodded reluctantly, and Kairi blanched.

"Tsubasa-san." Sora addressed the woman he had seen as his best-friend's mother. "Do you remember last time Riku had gone missing?"

"His feet?" She replied worriedly.

"Hmn." Sora nodded. Last time Riku had disappeared, he had taken refuge on the small island outside the main village. Riku had the tendency to bottle up all of his emotions and hide away from everyone else, and it certainly didn't go without a toll. Last time, he was so ashamed of succumbing to darkness that he had slit open the soles of his feet so that when he walked, he could feel as though he was earning the right too walk in the light. Even though Sora and Kairi had assured him that he was wanted and that doing such was foolish, Sora still had his doubts that Riku was back to normal.

He was probably one of the few that had noticed the dried rust colored blood that was barely visible on the hems of a few of Riku's shirts, or the pale blemishes on his skin. Sora knew that Riku had continued to cut himself, if not as frequently as he had once done, but the notion was still disturbing. If this much pain was pressed upon him… Sora readied himself for what he might find. Sora had never liked blood much, but to see the blood of his friend, and so much of it… it was impressionable at the very least.

Suddenly, he felt Kairi's hand slip into his and they were saying good-bye to Mrs. Tsubasa. "The island?" Kairi inquired, knowing the answer before she asked. Sora nodded absent-mindedly.

"Yeah." The two picked out Kairi's lightwood boat and climbed in.

"Oh!" Kairi cried. "Should I go back and –"

"No, I don't think we have that much time, Kairi." Sora said grimly.

"Oh, Sora… I thought that maybe it would just be like last time but… please don't tell me…" Sora turned and held her arms, staring deep into her cerulean eyes.

"I don't know Kairi, I just don't know. But it's our duty as his closest friends to see him through to whatever end." Kairi nodded as her tears fell silently against the oar in her lap.

"I understand."

"Let's go." Sora whispered; voice lost in the wind. The ride to the island was eerily quiet. The waters seemed still as a thin layer of mist blanketed the life below. Even the gulls seemed solemn; piercing cries pealing through the gray skies. The two disembarked at the dock, tying the bow to a post peering through the water. They stood upon the sandy beach, frozen in time.

"Sora." Kairi breathed. "I'm frightened, Sora."

"Me too Kairi." Sora nodded, squeezing her hand lightly. The two walked along the oddly cool sands and up a small gangway constructed of disemboweled crates and barrels. Sora stepped forward and scraped away the moss choking the entrance to their secret place. He turned to his redheaded girlfriend suddenly. "I'll go first Kairi, stay behind me. If… if… I'll tell you if you should look."

Kairi gulped and nodded, walking lightly behind him, her heart racing. Sora appeared in the mouth of the cave and gasped. Kairi's heart jumped into her throat, and she squeezed her eyes closed, afraid of seeing something that she knew she'd never be able to erase. "RIKU!" Sora cried, dropping Kairi's hand, and falling to his friend's side. "Kairi! Kairi!"

"Is he… please Sora…" Kairi whimpered, eyes still closed.

"No, it's alright. He… he's just unconscious is all." Sora breathed in relief. Kairi's eyes fluttered open hesitantly, and she immediately gasped.

"Oh my God… Riku!" she fell next to Sora, placing a hand over Riku's chest. Rivers of blood leaked down the numerous cuts along Riku's arms like veins. His face was contorted in pain and soaked in a cold sweat. He moaned and twitched, the motion pulling out more blood. His skin was deathly pale.

"He did it." Kairi blinked blankly. "Again. This is going to be the dea- oh! Sora, do you think he was trying to…?"

"Maybe. He's sure doing a great job with it though." Sora said bitterly. "Riku you idiot. You're not alone! Why do you have to- ARGH!" Sora looked away sharply, hiding the tears threatening to fall from Kairi. Riku moaned again, louder this time. His eyelids flicked open to reveal dazed blue eyes misted with pain from the great loss of blood.

"Kairi? Sora?" he whispered.

"Riku!" Sora and Kairi chorused.

"Riku! Riku why?!" Sora bent down over his friend.

"It's okay, Riku. We're here." Kairi murmured soothingly, stroking stray bangs away from his eyes.

"You idiot." Sora said softly. "When are you ever going to learn? You don't have to suffer alone, you know that."

"We're going to bring you back to the village and get you fixed up, okay Riku?" Kairi added. Riku's eyes flashed angrily, and he struggled up.

"No!" Riku spat, bracing his wait against a wall. "I'm not going back to live a lie. I won't stand for it!" He winced as a tremor of pain lanced through his mutilated arms, more sweat covering his brow.

"Riku! Stop! You'll just hurt yourself even more! Let us help you." Kairi pleaded.

"I don't need your help." Riku snarled back. "I don't need anyone's god damn help! There's nothing wrong with me!"

Sora stared at Riku's strange reply, placing a comforting hand on the shocked Kairi's shoulder. "We never said there's anything wrong with you, Riku." He said slowly. "We just need to close your wounds before they kill you."

"Bullshit." Riku shook his head. "Sometimes, there are wounds that never heal."

"RIKU! What the hell has gotten into you?!" Sora demanded angrily. "Why are you so damn afraid of letting anyone help you? Why do you shut us out, and then cut yourself because nobody is near to you anymore? You're causing your own problems! Can't you see we're just trying to help you?"

"See!" Riku laughed. "You're no different than them."

"What-?" Sora recoiled. A black portal burst open, enveloping Riku in a familiar embrace. Riku stepped backwards into it, shaking his head remorsefully as he disappeared into the darkness. "RIKU! MATTE!" Sora cried, racing forward, but the portal snapped shut in his face. All that was left of Riku was the blood spattering the ground in unhealthy clumps.

"We never got to tell him that she loved him." Kairi whispered, sitting blankly in the dirt. Sora stood still, feeling utterly numb.

"Come on Kairi." He spoke, still staring at the empty space where Riku had vanished. "We're not letting him get away so easily. After all, we did make a promise."

* * *

_This is it._

The hackles on Riku's neck seemed to rise as he surveyed the nearly restored castle before him with obvious distain. Though it wasn't _the_ castle- the one where he'd been completely absorbed by darkness, it was a near-replica and sent shivers of anger through his spine.

"God, kid! What the hell happened to you?" Riku spun around to see a young man hovering over him. He was roughly thirty with brown tresses falling over dark orbs. Across the length of his face was a diagonal scar of pale pink. He was clothed in a short-sleeved black coat with feathery fur lining his neck.

"Um…" Riku looked down at his blood-streaked arms, sighing and shrugging. The older man rolled his eyes and grabbed the teen firmly by the shoulder.

"I swear to God, some of these kids…" Grumbled the brunette irritably as he dragged Riku along to a small shop where he quickly bought a potion and some bandages from the shopkeeper as well as a bottle of water. Grumbling to himself as he did, the older man dumped the cold water over Riku's arms, washing away the blood and curtly bandaged them before uncorking the potion. A small orb of light floated over Riku's head as lucid curaga petals floated down upon him to dull the sharp pain.

"Thanks I-" Began the lustrous-tressed teen.

"Forget it." Sniffed the elder guy before stalking off, "Just be more careful next time, kid."

"Yeah… okay…" Riku muttered softly as he watched the brunette disappear into a thin crowd of people. The teen then sighed dejectedly, putting his arms around his body and squeezing his upper arms before grunting with discomfort. Just as he had every time he had sliced his arms, Riku was beginning to regret his self-mutilation. He glanced around with a stale frown before heaving a dejected sigh. Why had he come here in the first place? This place where such tormenting memories existed…?

A dream.

Ebony tipped with soft gold stood beside him, speaking in soft murmurs, which were obviously words, but didn't quite seem to be.

Whatever that… person?… was, he needed to find them. Riku closed his icy azure eyes and began his trek to nowhere.

* * *

"CLOUD!"

"NNMPH!" Cloud staggered from the weight of Yuffie as she threw herself at him in a flying hug. He picked up the girl and spun her around from the force of her tackle-glomp and set her down, "Hey Yu-"

"How's Vincent?!" The dark-tressed ninja half-screamed, "Where is he? What's going on? Does he miss me? Why hasn't he called me? Does he not love me anymore? Did he get a new girlfriend? W-?"

Cid clapped a hand over the younger girl's face as Yuffie struggled and squeaked; Cloud raised an eyebrow to which Cid shrugged, scratching his head sheepishly, "Only way to shut 'er up."

Yuffie finally struggled free from Cid's grasp and latched onto Cloud's arm, smothering her face in his semi-overcoat. Cloud cleared his throat, "Um… Yuffie… what're you doing?"

"I'm trying to see if you smell anything like Vincent." She explained as Cloud quickly shook her off. Yuffie huffed irritably.

"So, what brings you here, Cloud-dono?" A small voice inquired as a tiny pixie floated up to Cloud's nose. She was roughly a foot high and dressed in a white top with a matching blue skirt, pale blue ruffles falling over one leg.

Yet another pixie landed on Cloud's head, shrieking loudly, "Ohhhh! Cloud-dono looks like a Chocobo, desu!"

"Rikku, get off of him." Yet another pixie appeared, this one silver-tressed and dressed in black.

"Nice to see you, too." Said the blonde-tressed man, removing a squirming pixie from his head, "And to answer your question, things have been getting… strange."

"Like how so?" Yuffie put her hands on her hips, stomping her foot, "It must've had to be pretty bad for Vincent to send me to stay out here with this old geezer." Yuffie hitched her thumb back at Cid, who growled irritably.

"Gee, thanks." Cid grumbled before sitting down at his computer.

"Well, for starters… we think that Sephiroth may have returned." Cloud began. Both Yuffie and Cid gasped. The pixies shared nervous glances.

"And WHY did he want me here when I COULD be out kicking Sephi's butt?" Yuffie cracked her knuckles as her brown eyes narrowed in anger before she irratably plopped down in a chair

Cloud shrugged nonchalantly, then his expression became grave, "Vincent told me to tell you to stay here until its safe to come home. Yuffie stood up, knocking her chair over as she did, Yuna squeaked and flew away from Yuffie, hiding behind Cloud as she did. "Don't blame me, I'm just the messenger."

"To hell with that!" She yelled at Cloud, and the poor spiky-tressed man was sure he was going to at least get hit by her, weather he was the messenger or not, "I'm coming home! I want to see my man and I'm going to!"

"Okay." Cloud sighed again, "Whatever. But Vincent said that if you came home no more sex."

Yuffie's eyes became the size of saucers- _flying _saucers, "He… he did NOT say that!"

"He did." Cloud smirked. Yuffie swore quietly to herself before storming off. Cid turned to Cloud.

"He didn't really say that, did he?" Inquired the blonde. Cloud smirked to himself slightly.

"No, not really." He then stopped and sheepishly scratched his head, "But it always works when Tifa tells me that." Cid chuckled and went back to his work, muttering something about "Kids these days".

"I'm going out." Cloud explained, stretching his arms out.

"To where, Cloud-dono, desu?" Rikku inquired softly, perched on Cloud's shoulder.

"Who knows?" he shrugged, pushing back the front-most locks of his spiky tresses.

"Happy traveling!" Yuna cried out, waving him goodbye. Cloud nodded with a small grunt of acknowledgement.

"Hey, Spiky!" Cid called in his gravelly voice. "Take care o' yerself, ya hear? I don' want Tifa on my ass cuz you had ter go an' get yerself blown up!" he rubbed his nose with his thumb. Cloud emitted a low chuckle and nodded.

"Got it." He said in an amused tone as he walked out the door.

* * *

Riku stalked along the cobblestone streets, hugging his bandaged arms to his chest. Every now and then a civilian would stop and stare at him, and he would glare back, but for the most part people had more important matters to attend to. And Riku liked it that way. For as long as he could remember, he had disliked people making a fuss over him, he hated pity… now more then ever. Sighing, he lifted up the hem of his undershirt and examined the item pouch attached to his thick stud belt. _Great! Just… beautiful._ He growled to himself. He had 300 munny, two worthless ethers (he didn't use normal magic to require them), and a lucid shard for synthesis. Wow. _That_ was helpful.

A sudden blur at the edge of his vision caught his attention. _Was that…?_ Riku pondered, feeling the power build up in his limbs as he tensed for a fight. He looked around quickly. _I guess not. Maybe I'm just getting delirious… I haven't had anything to eat for almost two days. But still…_ He looked apprehensively at his small pouch. He shook his head wearily. A good meal could cost up to 150 munny, and then he'd be left with half. He had to conserve munny if he was to make it out on his own. But if he ate, maybe he'd be strong enough to keep going and gain some munny from Heartless or Nobodies…

"Hey! You, kid! Get out of the road, ya nimrod!" Riku looked up, startled, and sidestepped a man driving a large cart. The man shot him a dirty look and kept driving, splashing up water from underneath the thick wheels. Riku stared after him coldly, and then shrugged it off. He hadn't realized that he was in the middle of the street. Maybe he _did_ need the food, irregardless of what it would cost him. He walked along the street aways until he came to a small ramen shop, purchasing a small cup. It wasn't much, only 60 munny, but it still was more then what he had wanted to spend. The sky was darkening overhead and the last rays of sunlight were painted across the horizon in hues of pink, orange, and lavender. Throwing his empty cup into a wastebasket under a streetlight, Riku surveyed the area. He had a couple of choices now. First, he could spend more of his precious munny on a room for the night at a local inn, but get a full night's rest. Two, he could try to find some suitable place to take refuge for the night. Or three, he could try to go as far as possible that night, avoiding detection, but at the same time risk passing out in the middle of nowhere from exhaustion.

Riku sighed and glared in frustration at the neon lights that were flickering into existence. He had a major headache by now; today was just not his day. He immediately nixed the first idea; he needed that munny for more important things. The ground might suffice for now, but… he had wanted to get as far away as possible and he still hadn't found whatever it was he was searching for. Ebony tipped with soft gold… could it be something found amidst the dark of night? He blinked hard to clear his vision and continued to walk down a flight of concrete stairs. He entered an area that was poorly lit, and in the darkness, he made out the buildings around him to be houses. Well, he couldn't stay there in the eye of the public, so he slunk along the alley until he came to an opening in the wall. He went halfway up the set of stairs behind it and clung to the edge of the ledge and flipped himself over. There was a short wall here, forming a low balcony.

Riku approached the edge and gazed out across the wide expanse of shimmering stone. Far beyond it was an ominous shape that reared out of the night, darker then the rest. His gut twisted and he knew instantaneously that this was the castle he had inhabited for a short while. Growling with disgust, he entered the bailey. Here he found small insets in the wall with similar balconies. Weary with exhaustion, he curled up inside one, head resting on his knees as he drifted off into a fitful sleep.

* * *

"Hey!" Riku jolted awake, staring wide-eyed at the one who had spoken. "It's not safe for a kid to be out here this last at night, especially on your own." The man offered a hand to Riku, who, after a moment's hesitation, took it and allowed the man to help pull him up. Riku looked at him a moment, agape. He wasn't all that tall; in fact, he stood only a few inches taller then Riku. His hair was long and spiky, the color of wheat in the summer. He wore thick dark clothing; a wool turtleneck tank, thick leather belt, baggy pants, short leather boots, and a sort of half-cloak that was strapped into place by several small belts and a heavy looking sort of pauldron with the figurehead of a wolf holding a smooth ring in it's jowls. "Come on." The man spoke again. Riku looked into the man's icy blue eyes wordlessly. "Let's get out of here." He walked off without waiting to see if Riku was following him. Riku gasped inwardly. _This _was what he was looking for!

"Hey! He-e-y! Wait!" Riku cried, running after him. As he caught up he asked, "So, uh… you plan on telling me who you are?"

"Name's Cloud." The man answered, not looking at him.

"Hmn. I'm Riku." The silver tressed teen announced. Unexpectantly, the man stopped short.

"Riku?" he repeated. Riku frowned and walked around to look him in the eye.

"What? What is it?"

"Don't you have a friend that's looking for you?" Cloud asked.

"Huh?" Riku looked around nervously. Had he not gone far enough?

"Sora… I think that's what his name was. He came by a while ago… seemed real worried about you." Cloud looked at him critically.

"How long is a while ago?" Riku demanded.

"Months…" Cloud furrowed his eyebrows. "Why?"

"It's just…" Riku looked at him skeptically. He had foreseen meeting Cloud, did that mean that he had to tell him everything in order to move on? "It's a long story." Riku sighed, feeling all his muscles relax. Cloud led him over to the stairway and sat him down beside him. Cloud looked over at him.

"Wanna talk?" he murmured. Riku braced his head in his hands and sighed thankfully.

"Yeah." He nodded. "Yeah… let's talk."

**End Chapter 3**


	4. Lacrymosa

**Jenova's Children **

**By Kawaii and Junsui**

**Author's Note:** Kawaii-chan here! Ohaio! I'm very glad that all of you are still reading and I hope you've been getting my review replies :D Anywho; just to clarify a few things, we've made some tiny ajustments to the story in order to make it work; first of all, in this version, Sephiroth never appeared in the kingdom hearts series, he was deaded; same thing goes with Aerith/Aeris, she never appeared because she was sitting at the bottom of a lake (to put in bluntly). Also, Midgar is located on the same planet as Hollow Bastion/Radiant Garden. Why? Because Junsui-chan said XP I didn't get to write much for this chapter (and probably not muc for the next one either), but the two or so chapters after that I REALLY want to write the majority of (just like this chapter and the next for Junsui-chan). Hoookay, now that that's all said and done, I suppose you want me to stop rambling and get the story started, huh? XD

**Chapter 4**

**Lacrymosa**

"So…" Cloud exhaled heavily. "You're running from the darkness within you, and trying to protect your friends, right?" Riku nodded numbly, wiping away a stray tear with his thumb. He hadn't meant to cry, especially in front of Cloud, but they had evaded him in the end.

"I just… I was so mad." He whispered. "And I think… I think I really hurt them, inside, I mean. But what if… God, I could have…" he cut himself off harshly. Cloud looked over at him sympathetically and placed a hand on the teen's shoulder.

"It isn't easy to fight the darkness."

"Huh?" Riku looked at him in bewilderment.

"Darkness… is within each of us. It's something we all have to fight." Cloud said finally. "Darkness… I think it's the choices we make, whether they are for good or ill. I… I wasn't always…" he shook his head and looked at Riku sheepishly. "I get you, kid. Trust me." Riku grinned half-heartedly. Cloud stood up. "Even where I live now, darkness still haunts me. I thought I'd left it behind, but –" he shook his head. "– There's still so much for me to do. I guess she has more planned for me."

"Who?" Riku quipped.

"Aerith." Cloud breathed remorsefully. "My first love. She's dead now, but I still feel her there. She's become part of the Lifestream, the current that flows around our planet and decides its fate; truly, it's Heaven. Aerith must have more for me to do."

"What makes you say that?" Riku asked with wonderment. _Does that mean he can talk to those who've already passed?_ Then he pondered with a jolt. _Can everyone, if they try?!_

"Her residual spirit rests within nature around us, water, mainly. I don't know. Something within me just tells me that my journey is not yet over."

"Hmn. I take it you don't live here then?"

"No, I came here to visit my friends. I'm looking for answers, really."

"Answers? Answers to what? I came here looking for you, only I didn't know it. Maybe you were supposed to find me?" Riku suggested. Cloud looked back at him thoughtfully.

"I suppose…" he drew his arms together behind him, stretching out his back. "There was a great calamity, that later spawned the evil war-lord… Sephiroth." Riku looked up at him suddenly. That name… why did it feel so familiar. Cloud frowned. "What is it?"

"Nothing. De ja vu I guess." Riku waved him on.

"Sephiroth brought death and destruction with him, and destroyed so many lives. In the end, my companions and I were the ones who faced him in what we thought was a final battle, but…" Cloud chuckled with pent up frustration. "That wasn't to be. Two years later, he came back through a young man. Apparently, the kid had already died, and Sephiroth manifested him because part of his soul rested within. In the end, I had to defeat him again – Sephiroth, the kid, and his two companions. But recently, things have been different. I found Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo – the kid and his companions – in Aerith's church, and something tells me that we'll be getting another visit from Hell." Cloud brought a hand to his face and pinched the bridge of his nose, releasing the tension.

Riku sat in stunned silence. He felt a buzzing in his head. There was something important in what he had just heard, something he was supposed to know. But it felt as though he was trying to see to the bottom of the sea back at home, only a thick mist had rested on the water's surface, and his goal was just out of reach. "Can I…" he gathered himself. "Can I go with you?" he asked. Cloud looked him up and down skeptically.

"You say you can fight, but you do so with the powers of darkness. Too much could consume you. I'm not gonna risk putting you into further risk."

"Please!" Riku begged stepping forwards. "Please! I feel as though I'll find something if I do, something important!" There was a tense moment of silence, and then Cloud nodded.

"Alright. You can come with me. I'll teach you to fight without having to rely on darkness. Even if I said 'no', I think you'd follow me anyways." He said. "We'll start tomorrow. I have a bike but Squall can make good use of it here. It's not like we're in that much rush to get there, and it'll give me time to teach you." Cloud grunted.

"Squall?" Riku quipped, standing up.

"Leon." Cloud responded. "We need to get some rest tonight, it's a three days walk to Edge." He brushed off his front and waited for Riku to follow him up to the top of the staircase. "We'll spend the night at Merlin's tonight. Follow me."

* * *

Cloud pushed open the heavy, wooden door that marked Merlin's house. Riku blinked his azure orbs as they adjusted to the darkness. Cloud assisted by snapping on a dim light. The 'house' appeared to be nothing but a small studio apartment with a large computer terminal against the back wall. Near the computer terminal was a cot pushed up against the wall in which Cid slept. On the floor was Yuffie, dozing lightly in a Japanese-style futon. Under each arm was a pixie; Rikku under her left and Yuna under her right. Riku would've thought they were dolls if Rikku wouldn't have rolled over in her sleep, lightly grumbling.

"Cloud-dono. You're home late." Riku turned to see a silver-paired pixie floating before Cloud's face.

"You're _up_ late." Cloud raised an eyebrow at the pixie, whom snorted in curt reply.

"I wouldn't if I didn't have to be on the lookout for _that_." Paine pointed an accusing finger towards Yuffie, who was attempting to sneak out of the door behind Cloud's back.

"Yuffie… what are you doing?" Cloud blinked as the ninja swore and jabbed an accusing finger at Paine.

"I TOLD you that I would pay you as much munny or gil you wanted if you let me leave!" Yuffie snapped.

"I don't take bribes." Paine snapped, rolling her ruby orbs.

"You little bi-" Began the ninja, her hand balled into a fist.

"What the hells is goin' on her'?" Cid sat up in bed, rubbing his face with a single hand.

"Trust me, if I knew, I'd tell you." Cloud snorted before walking over to a storage cupboard and removing two extra futon, one for him and one for Riku.

"Who's he." Yuffie asked as she plodded back to her futon.

"Riku." Cloud answered in a single word. The ninja rolled her eyes.

"Oh, gee. That gives me a _great_ explanation as to who he is." The dark-tressed ninja grumbled as she pulled the covers up to her nose before glancing to Riku quickly; a frown graced her placid features and she rolled over away from him. Exhausted, the teenage boy fell face-first into his own futon, burying himself in the pillow. His tense muscles ached and he relaxed and his body went limp, succumbing to the call of rest.

* * *

It seemed like Riku had just dozed off before a heavy hand was shaking his shoulder. The silvery-tressed boy raised his head up from the soft pillow, blinking slowly as the world spun into focus.

"Wha…?" He grumbled in confusion, looking around the room.

"Come on. We're leaving." Riku glanced up to Cloud, whom was already wide-awake, even in the early hour of the morning. A beam of pale sunlight trickled in from a window and brushed over the smooth features of the boy with the icy azure orbs. Riku threw his covers over his legs and stood up, his head still numb with sleep.

"Aren't we going to get breakfast?" A female voice whispered. Riku realized it belonged to Yuffie, whom was clinging tightly onto Cloud's arm like an accessory.

"Sure." Shrugged the towhead in a whisper. He frowned and turned dewy blue orbs on the ninja, "Are you sure you want to come? It's a long trip and you've been sick lately-"

"Shut up!" Snapped the girl, running a hand through her short tresses, eyes narrowed in anger, "I told you it was something bad I ate!"

Cloud grumbled something under his breath that Riku couldn't hear; but obviously Yuffie could, as her dark orbs widened in sudden shock and she punched the blonde's arm with all the force she could muster.

"_You-are-a-pervert_!" Gasped the young woman, her cheeks taking on a pale red hue. Riku blinked several times and sniggered to himself, realizing what Cloud had most likely said.

"So you have a man back home?" Inquired the teen with a small grin as they left the home. Yuffie growled irately, a vein throbbing on her temple.

"If I hear another word from EITHER of you-" She began, shaking her head in anger.

"You'll what?" Cloud smirked lightly, "Give us head?"

**POW!**

Riku blanched and took a step backwards, his face the shade of a pure white blanket. The ninja stood over Cloud, whom was writhing on the cobblestone ground in pain, her fist still high in the air. Yuffie then took a deep breath and turned to Riku, giving him an optic death ray.

"So, would you like to say something?" She inquired in a disturbingly placid tone, her dark eyes glinting with malice. Riku shook his head quickly, his azure orbs still round and wide in horror.

"Good!" Cooed the dark-tressed woman cheerfully as she peeled a still-writhing Cloud off of the ground, "Then let's get going!"

Riku stared after her for several seconds before submissively following.

* * *

"Okay." Cloud rubbed the sore spot on his head and turned to Riku before clearing his throat, "Show me what you got."

"A-" Yuffie began sarcastically, but was silence by a look from Cloud. The towhead looked back to Riku, nodding softly.

The silver-tressed teen took a deep breath, nodding quietly before The Way To The Dawn materialized into his hand in a streak of silver. Riku held the indigo-tipped blade out at arm's length, an unreadable expression on his face before his azure eyes narrowed slightly.

Cloud observed the Keyblade with an equally unreadable expression. He reached behind his back to the leather harness and unsheathed a sword – the main core of the First Tsurugi. He held it out for his own observation and clicked the blade into place to form a solid piece. He caught the apprehensive look in the younger teen's eye and shook his head.

"Don't worry about the metal." He assured him. "The First Tsurugi has a total of six parts, and is made for crushing, not slicing. This is just the main sword." Riku smiled nervously.

"Thanks, that makes me feel loads better." Riku said sarcastically. "I'll just be smashed instead of cut to pieces."

"Hmn. I can stop the blade in mid-swing. Don't let me down, okay?" Cloud shook his head. Riku smirked and braced himself, legs spread into a fighting stance, Way to the Dawn poised above his head, left arm out acting as a guide mark. Cloud didn't bother to move. "Now attack me." he commanded.

"What?!" Riku sputtered incredulously. "Aren't you going to set up first, ya know, get ready?"

"In a real battle, sometimes there isn't time to get ready. If you do as well as I hope, you'll be skilled enough to do the same when I'm through with you. Now, attack me." Cloud explained. Riku squinted his eyes at him suspiciously.

"You'll be expecting it by now." He thought verbally, a small glow of satisfaction creeping into himself at seeing the other man smile slightly at his thought. Riku relaxed and loosened his hold on the Keyblade's handle. He drew himself up and paced around Cloud, never taking his eyes off him. On his third pass around, he launched himself at his opponent's unprotected back and slashed down with the Keyblade. In a matter of seconds, he lay huddled up, grasping at his abdomen, attempting to catch his breath. Cloud stood unphased a few yards away, the tip of the Main Core nestled into the ground.

"What… the… hell?" Riku gasped, wide-eyed. With a small grunt, he hoisted his weapon above his head and tensed his muscles. Cloud didn't move. Riku sighed exasperatedly. "Oh, come on! You have to do _something_!" he urged.

"This isn't a game. It's training. Give me something to look at, then I'll move." Cloud looked away disinterestedly.

"What?!" the silver tressed teen cried. Growling, he ran forward and swung the Keyblade at the blonde's chest. Cloud stilled until the last second when he flashed the blade before him, barring the attack. Riku snarled and threw his weight against the crossed weapons, holding his balance. Cloud nodded, still unphased, and brought his other hand against the cool metal and pushed it away from him. The teen attempted to push against the force, but ended up tensing against it to push himself backwards and aerial vaulted, landing in a kneeling position.

Suddenly, he yelped, jumping back as Main Core slipped underneath his feet. Cloud's eyes flashed with bemusement as he swung the blade part in a series of complicated arcs, forcing Riku to parry them and leaving him open for attack. The blonde slipped into a pattern of swings; right, up, left, up, right, up, left, up, until he was sure that Riku had memorized it. Then he changed the pattern, finishing with a downward swing. Riku rebounded in a similar fashion, now covered with sweat.

He stood shakily, and ran the back of his wrist across his mouth, grinning. "Damn, you're good."

"I'm an Ex-SOLDIER, it's my job." Cloud replied curtly.

"Hmn." Cerulean eyes narrowed in concentration, as muscles coiled for the attack. Nimbly, Riku ran at Cloud, in a zigzag formation, cutting to the side when he neared, then veering in the other direction. A smile crept onto the teen's lips as metal tore into flesh. Cloud uttered a low gasp and pivoted around to clip Riku over the head with the flat side of the blade. Riku moaned and retreated aways, a hand to his ringing head.

"Hey." Riku's head snapped up at the sound of the female ninja's voice. She set a soft hand on his shoulder and placed her mouth right next to his ear, whispering to him, "How old are you?"

"_What_?" Riku shook his head, his azure eyes narrowed in confusion.

"Just answer!" She snapped irritably.

"Sixteen. Why?" He recoiled from her slightly, beginning to become frightened.

"Sixteen…" She repeated softly, her brown orbs sparkling with thought, "Sixteen… hmm… I can assume you've never gotten laid?"

"**WHAT**?!"

"Okay. Here's the thing about Cloud. He's fast, but he uses brute force in order to accomplish his attacks. Like he said about the First Tsurugi – it's made for crushing, not something intricate like the precision of cutting or slicing. You're lithe and nimble; you don't have to use as much energy. Its like this: you don't want to use all your energy trying to please your partner when they're willing to do all the work… you see what I'm trying to say?" She whispered softly, staring at him with serious eyes.

Riku stared at her, horrified. But his frightened scowl quickly evaporated, "You mean…"

Yuffie grinned and nodded. Riku blinked several times, understanding the concept… as well as the weird analogy.

"You just have to get him to charge you…" The ninja licked her lips quickly and took a deep breath, ""HEY! CLOUD! RIKU SAYS YOU HAVE A CHOCOBO HEAD!"

"What?" Cloud's soft yell came from far away. Riku looked at the ninja, mortified.

"RIKKKKKKUUUUUUUUU SAAAAAAAAAYSSSSSS YOOOUU'RE GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, cupping her hands around her mouth in order to amplify the noise.

"Yuffie shut the fuck up!" Riku's azure eyes were wide and growing.

"**WHAT**?!" Cloud yelled loudly, beginning to charge.

"You're welcome!" Chirped the ninja as she stepped to the sidelines.

Riku bit his lip, his body trembling slightly, wondering if Yuffie's idea would work… she seemed to know what she was talking about- in more ways than one. With a deep breath, Riku mirrored Cloud's advance, and just as they were about to clash, he leapt and evaded the attack. The towhead wheeled around and Riku leapt again. Cloud huffed, beginning to tire of the shenanigans, and stopped and waited for Riku. The silver tressed young man tensed again.

"Relax!" Yuffie cried from a dozen yards away, "Just let your man do all the work, Riku!"

"I'M NOT GAY, YUFFIE!" Cloud screamed at the girl, and charged the younger man once more. This time, Riku feigned an evasion and slipped around Cloud at the last moment, mimicking his first successful attack. The blonde bit his lip with frustration, realizing what was happening and swung his sword, continuing with the game of tag Riku had initiated. Though time consuming; Riku could begin to see what Yuffie was talking about. You had to use your own strengths to deplore your opponent's weaknesses. Why go into offense, when you could trick your enemy into their own faults?

Within a quarter of an hour, Cloud dropped to one knee, panting heavily.

"Damn." The spiky tressed man swore, looking to Riku as the boy hi-fived Yuffie from several yards away, "No more helping him, Yuffie." He scolded lightly, stopping a short way from the pair.

"No way; you weren't getting it through, so I just HAD to step in." The ninja grinned, admiring her fingernails in the dim sunlight.

"I hate you…" Cloud muttered irately.

Yuffie stopped her admiration and looked up to beam at Cloud, "It seems we have something in common!"

"Well… that was an interesting analogy." Riku commented lightly, scratching at the back on his head sheepishly, "Where'd you get that idea?"

"Experience, babe. Lots and LOTS of experience." The ninja nodded to herself, folding her arms.

"Don't call me babe, Nee-san." Grinned the teen as the ninja politely handed him a bottle of water.

"Don't call me Nee-san, babe." She retorted lightheartedly.

"I never thought of fighting as such a… sexual thing before." Riku mumbled, red tingeing his cheeks. "Thanks a lot, Yuffie, for that lovely mental image!"

"Anytime hun!" the short female cried, waving to him as she went to join Cloud.

"Bitch." Cloud muttered good-naturedly.

"Glad to see you, too!" Yuffie scowled, whacking him over the head.

"Ow." Cloud half-moaned, half-stated as they began to walk to where he had left Main Core.

"So, the kid gave you a real work-out, huh?" the ninja inquired.

"I don't like your tone." The blonde rolled his eyes. Yuffie grinned.

"Only to a perverted mind."

"You hypocrite."

"Hmn. I try!" Yuffie mocked him, curtseying. "So… ya think he can handle it?"

"Yeah." Cloud nodded thoughtfully. "He's stronger than most his age. Faster too. In fact…" he looked away. "He probably would've made SOLDIER."

"Oh Cloud, don't say that!" Yuffie cried, drawing Riku's attention. She winced and lowered her voice. "I mean, you don't mean to say –?"

"Yes." Cloud nodded in all seriousness. "With the proper training, he'll come to surpass me. I wasn't good enough for SOLDIER, but he… as far as his style is, his determination… he reminds me of Zack." He uttered wistfully.

"Wow." Yuffie breathed, dumb shocked. Cloud had never confided things in her before. Not like this, at least.

"He's still not quite there yet." Cloud went on intently. "At SOLDIER level, I mean. I remember my training, but… yeah, I think he's got what it takes. And then some. But we have to deplore his main weaknesses first. Maybe get him to do more then spar with me?"

"Of course!" Yuffie smiled, taking the hint. "I'd gladly help!"

"Good. If you get used to fighting the same thing, you'll never broaden your horizons to different styles of fighting. Maybe I'll find some creatures for him to fight as well, they seem to crop up all over the place. Oh, and introduce him to more weapons."

"Like what?" Yuffie inquired, looking up at her companion.

"Guns." Came her curt reply.

"Guns?!" the ninja shrieked, stepping back a pace. "But, Cloud, why?"

"You forget." Cloud snorted. "During my training it was the only thing I fought with. Diversity can save you in times of desperation. Much like learning different styles and techniques – if he only learned to battle sword-wielders, he would automatically become inept at taking on martial artists, gunners, or even ninjas such as yourself. Different mind set, different was to attack and defend."

"Geebus!" the girl exclaimed, scratching her arm. "Master never taught me that. And he was Papa's Master too!" she said in earnest.

"Hmn. It doesn't surprise me." Cloud went on, ignoring the angry squawk from the young girl. "Your father, the Lord of Wutai, never really left the kingdom, except for wars, right?"

"Well… ya. I mean, I guess so."

"Don't the people of Wutai have similar methods?"

"Ya, but… what about in war?"

"War is a whole different breed than a singular battle." Cloud argued. "War is chaotic, unless you are part of an organized regiment going in for an ambush or raid. In war, as long as you can fight, it doesn't really matter if you're trained to battle whatever or whomever you're facing. Chances are, they'll be finished off by some other cause, or were thrown off because of some sudden action or noise." The blonde finished, stretching.

"Geez, man. You sound so… I don't know, formal? Well, you're well informed in any case." Yuffie stated, shaking her head so her short tresses shook from side to side. Cloud looked t her with an almost remorseful look.

"Ever since I was a young boy, it was my dream to become apart of SOLDIER. I lived for war, I trained for war, and now when I want to stop, war comes to me. War… is my life."

"Ya, but, you asked for it, right?" Yuffie posed, uncertain if this was the right thing to have said.

"I guess... I guess I did. But I was ready for it, so I've survived." He answered finally.

"Sure. But is he?" Yuffie countered, hitching her thumb back at the drowsy form of Riku. Cloud followed her gaze, and something flickered in his eyes.

"I don't know Yuffie. I don't know." He sighed wearily, pulling Main Core from it's earthen sheath and slinging it into it's place on his harness. "But he has to face it, whether or not he's ready. This kid has something special about him." He paused and allowed a small chuckle. "After all, he's Sora's friend, right?" Yuffie giggled and watched as Cloud sat down beside Riku. A frown crossed her features. _I wonder why Cloud is so dead-set in helping this kid. Could it be that he sees himself in Riku? And even if it is for Riku's own good… could Cloud be hurting him instead? He was so serious about it, and I know it hurts him to remember, but what if he ends up turning the poor kid into another deadly, apathetic fighter? What if he builds his discipline and concentration so high that he just stops caring, that he becomes as detached and emotionless as Cloud?_

"Hey." Riku called to her, jarring her out of her thoughts. "What's the matter?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing." She replied sweetly, quickly hiding her concerned expression. "Um… I'm gonna turn in a bit early, so, uh, keep it down, okay?"

Cloud shot her a strange look. "Sure thing." He replied slowly.

"What's with Yuffie?" Riku inquired, looking to his new friend and mentor.

"Who knows?" Cloud shrugged it off. The two sat in silence a while longer, staring out across the desolate wastelands in the gathering dusk.

"So… is it really safe out here?" Riku spoke up. "I mean, we are smack in the middle of nowhere."

"What do you think?" the spiky haired man shot back sarcastically, reaching around to pat Main Core. A dull sound resonated from the impact, which seemed to amplify and echo across the canyon.

"It's just so… dead out here." Riku noted.

"Hmn."

"No trees, no animals, not even birds or small plants!" Riku exclaimed, as he strained to see in the gathering darkness. "And not only that, but it's just so… silent."

"Except for our voices and the occasional rasping of wind." Cloud added, sitting back in front of the fire he had just constructed. The flames played across the features of the two young men, making their skin looked paler then usual. Cloud cocked his head to the side, and he looked with great intensity at something, all unbeknownst to Riku. After a second, he grabbed the silver haired boy's wrist and flipped it over, pushing back the armband that covered it. He stared at the faint silvery blemishes that ran along the length of where the armband covered in irregular lengths. After a great length, he spoke softly, almost in a whisper.

"I was wondering. Last night, you had bandages up your arms. I never thought to ask, but I couldn't help but notice that you looked perfectly normal, except for your arms. This morning, you weren't wearing the one on this side."

"Ya, well." Riku began, wrenching his wrist out of the other man's grasp. "It got better."

"For how long?" Cloud said angrily. Riku stepped back.

"What do mean?" he asked suspiciously.

"How long will you be better until you decide you need to do this again?" the blonde went on.

"What does it matter? I bet you get cut up everyday." Riku said defensively. Cloud was silent for a moment, but he was absolutely livid. His eyes turned as cold as ice.

"I get cut up defending the ones I love. I get cut up because I have to protect myself, or face death. I get cut up because I'm just trying to get by. But you. You do it on purpose. Because you think that it's the only way that you can let go of your pain." He spat. "You're weak if you think that. So much weaker than I thought. If you think that I haven't gone through Hell and back, then you're wrong. You're dead wrong. Like you, I shut myself off from everyone else – refused to let anyone in, to get any help. But never… don't you understand?!" he cried, an edge of desperation in his voice. "Cutting yourself doesn't _do_ anything! It's addictive, and it's dangerous. _It's a mental disease_. You think you need to do it again only because your mind is stuck on it, on the rush and the pain you feel when you do it. You may say that you don't care, but what about the people around you? What if you end up bleeding to death because you cut a vein? What would happen to them, then, huh? You think _they_ won't care?! You're hurting yourself more than you know." He whispered the last part. "I won't allow for this self mutilation." Cloud hissed venomously. "I'll continue your training but no matter how much potentional you may have, I will not hesitate to end it if I catch you ever doing that again." He stalked off, leaving Riku in his shell-shocked state.

_What would happen to them, then, huh? You think _they_ won't care?!_ The words echoed in his mind as he sat numbly, armband still pulled to the side. _You think _they_ won't care?! _A scene replayed in his head. Him running out of the house, swearing at the woman who cared so much about him, who raised someone else's child like her own. How he had so sadistically left her crying for him to stop. He saw himself back in the cave. Kairi weeping on the ground, the look of betrayal in Sora's eyes as he disbelievingly watched his friend desert them. He had hurt them. And now… there may never be a way to regain their trust. Because he didn't have enough trust in them. Enough trust in himself. Quietly, he lay down on his futon, not bothering to pull up the covers. All sleepiness had long left him, the fire crackled before him, but he didn't really see it. And as he lay there, he was barely aware of the crystal tears that ran down his cheeks.

**End Chapter 4**


	5. Memoria

**Jenova's Children **

**By Kawaii and Junsui**

**Author's Note: **Kawaii-chan here! Ummm... not much to say for this chappie. The next one is where it gets GOOD! ;) But this on is t3h awshumesht, too... cause I said so. XP

**Chapter 5**

**Memoria**

"Nnn… Vincent… have you been using my shampoo? You smell exactly like my hair… and your face tastes like… cotton…" Yuffie's chocolate brown orbs opened half-lidded as she realized that she was not making out with Vincent… she was making out with her pillow in her sleep. Cursing the headrest to the seventh layer of hell, she abandoned it, groping around for her bag, where she kept her digital watch. 2:37 AM. Damn. Still three-and-a-half more hours before they hit the road again… three-and-a-half more hours until she resumed her journey to home… to Vincent.

Yuffie shuffled uncomfortably under her sheets and frowned sadly to herself. Her body ached for his touch… to feel him hold her to his chest and with one sentence make everything in the world better. But so many things were nagging at the back of her mind, like…

The ninja flopped over into another position, casting her arm over her stomach, slowly realizing that she was fully awake. Why did things have to end up like _this_? Not only _that_, but the dilemma with Riku as well. Yuffie's face contorted with sadness; she'd heard Cloud yelling at Riku earlier in the evening. '_He doesn't understand…_' thought the ninja sadly as she fat up in her futon, wrapping her arms around her legs, '_He doesn't even remember what its like to be a teenager._'

Just then, a soft sound met her ears. Yuffie turned around in her futon as she blinked into the darkness where a tiny light burned on, like a beacon of hope. Yuffie stood and wrapped her futon's blanket around her. She followed the tiny aureate light.

Laying in a tiny huddle by the warmth of the light was Riku. So defeated and hopeless, his azure eyes were misted with tears that continued to slide down his cheeks as he trembled violently.

Yuffie felt herself begin to cry as well. Warm tears coruscated within her chocolate brown orbs and slid down her cheeks. No. Riku was _nothing_ like Cloud.

Without words, the short tressed young woman fell down to Riku's side and cradled him to her chest in a very uncharacteristic motherly way. She knew how bad the need to be held to one's chest was. A simple gesture of kindness showed universally parental love and affection; to let them know that it was all going to be okay.

"Its okay…" Yuffie soothed in words she found were the most soothing to herself, "It's going to be okay… I'm here. You're okay."

No, Riku was nothing like Cloud. For long ago, Cloud had shed this sort of emotion that made him human. Cloud could not break down and cry. Riku could…

Maybe it was time to stop comparing them.

* * *

The next day, Riku followed Yuffie around much like a lost puppy. He would walk in step with the ninja and insist on carrying her things after she barfed up her breakfast. Riku and Cloud did not talk that day. Instead, Riku decided to talk to Yuffie instead.

The young woman was quite pleasant towards him. They chatted casually about neutral things like books and art… things Yuffie wasn't terribly interested in, but kept up conversation for Riku's sake.

Cloud didn't ask Riku to spar.

* * *

The final day of their journey, Riku hung back, carrying Yuffie's things. The brunette-tressed ninja cast a wary glance at Cloud.

"He's hurting." She uttered softly.

The blonde continued to stare foreword, his dewy blue orbs narrowed and a frown engraved onto his round face, "Good."

"_Cloud_!" Yuffie gasped incredulously, her brown eyes wide and serious, "He's _hurting_, Cloud! There's so much more than just him taking his life…"

"I know." The blonde muttered softly, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, "He's hurting others as well."

"_No_, Cloud." Yuffie huffed angrily. Her expression, for once, was actually serious, "I know you mean well, but there's so much more than black and white. I thought you of all people would know that." She stopped dead in her tracks, grasping the blonde by his shoulder, "And you haven't forgotten about trying to 'atone for your sins' so soon, have you?"

Cloud irately yanked his shoulder from her grasp, spinning around in a flaming fury, "That's **_completely_** different!" He yelled. Yuffie recoiled instantly, her brown orbs coruscating with sadness. Cloud bit his lip nervously, "Yuffie, I-"

"No, Cloud. You've said enough." The ninja bowed her head, shaking it so that dark tresses danced slightly over her dark eyes, "You just don't understand."

She then fell back in-step with Riku, and the remainder of the trip was silent.

* * *

"Edge." Cloud swept his arm in front of him. They were standing atop a large plateau, the city of Edge sprawled out before them. Riku stepped out from behind Yuffie, brushing past Cloud wordlessly. The wind kicked up, rustling his hair.

"I know." He breathed.

"What was that, hun?" Yuffie quipped, cutting Cloud off.

"I said, I know. I know this is Edge." Riku replied softly.

"Huh? How's that? I mean, why couldn't it be some other town?" Yuffie cocked her head to the side in confusion.

"I've… I've never been here before. But somehow… it feels familiar. Like I should recognize this place. Like I forgot it." He shook his head, laughing to himself. "But that's not possible, is it?" He stalked to the rim of the plateau, keeping his companions from questioning him further. Something rolled over his shoe, and with a frown, he bent to retrieve it. He looked upon the object with wonderment, placing it in the palm of his hand. It was what appeared to be a shriveled flower; dried out by the dusty wastelands and the scalding gaze of the sun. He picked it up and turned it around. There was a soft crunch as he took another step.

Below his feet were several more dried blossoms in shades of white and yellow. Older still were those that were round and purple. Riku brushed the flowers aside with a foot, causing the dust to flare up. Coughing, he recoiled, and then gasped, still choking on the fine dirt. He quickly knelt and swept away more of the earth, exposing what lay beneath.

Cloud frowned from his vantage, examining Riku's curious behavior. A thought came to him, and he scanned the area for what was missing. Irately, he marched forward, only to be intercepted by Yuffie.

"What are you doing?" she asked forcefully. Cloud stared at her coldly.

"You're not his mother, you can't protect him forever."

"I know I'm not his mother!" the ninja spat, glaring just as ferociously. "I'm just trying to give him some support. Or are you that blind that you can't see he's already broken?!"

"Yuffie." Cloud shied away with remorse. "_You _don't understand. Hmn. Healing is long and hard. Believe me. I should know." Yuffie gaped at him.

"So what, huh? You think that yelling at him is going to make everything better? Well it's not, Cloud. You're the one who doesn't understand, not me."

"That's bullshit and you know it." The man growled, pushing past her. Riku looked up and backed away like a cornered cat. Cloud shot him a glance, then turned back to what the teen had uncovered. He groped along the metal until he came to the handle and with a mighty tug, loosed the sword from the ground. He looked at it with mixed emotion, then raised it and planted it in the earth, scattering the flowers that lay there. He swallowed audibly, looking away so that Riku couldn't see his face.

The teen stared at the great Buster Sword in awe. _What's a sword doing in the middle of nowhere? I mean, hasn't someone come across it before now? You'd think it would've been stolen, but… _He examined it closer now. _It is pretty old. It looks like the blade is starting to rust. But what's up with Cloud planting it in the ground like that?_ Cautiously, his eyes flitted up to see that the blonde man was… crying?

"Cloud?" he gulped. There was no response. "Hey, Cloud."

"What?" he finally uttered in hushed tones.

"Hey… uh, listen… you… you okay?" the silver tressed teen asked begrudgingly. Cloud didn't care about him, so why should he bother?

"I don't know." The man chocked out. His chest heaved, and without turning to face him, he sat beside Riku.

"Um… okay?"

"That sword… it's called the Buster Sword." Cloud stated at random. "It used to belong to my friend, Zack. Zack was a general of sorts in a highly advanced army called 'SOLDIER'. I… I had always wanted to be apart of SOLDIER. I felt if I could make it in, that I could finally prove to everyone that I could do something, that I could succeed. That… that I could fit in." he smiled to himself sadly. "I wasn't really that popular when I was younger. My only friend was Tifa. And I broke her heart when I left for SOLDIER. And that hurt almost more than anything I've had to endure. Almost. I never made it into SOLDIER. I… I failed. Zack was always so kind to me, almost like a big brother, really.

"I idolized him. I wanted to do something that would make him proud of me. Both Zack and… him." He muttered darkly. "He… I wanted to prove myself to the most. The best SOLDIER there was to have ever lived… the worst man I have ever known. And I adored him, called him my friend. And he betrayed me, burned down my hometown, cut down all of the villagers, my mother and Tifa's father among them. He later returned to torment me more, and killed someone very precious to me. But back then, it was Zack was the one who found Tifa, he was the one who challenged Sephiroth. Only by some strange twist of fate was I able to 'defeat' him. Not without injury of course." He barked a short laugh, gently massaging a spot on his chest.

"It was Zack who helped me escape Shin-ra after they experimented on us. It was him that protected me when I was too weak to do so myself, and it was him…" Cloud's eyes welled with emotion, trying to dam the flood of tears that begged for release. "It was him who lost his life to save mine. I swore that I'd live out both our lives. In the end, because I had gone through a time were I was catatonic… I thought that it was me who had done all of those things. But it was all in my head. I'm…" he looked to Riku, who looked regretfully back. "I lied to myself. I lived a lie. I chose to live in the past, because the truth hurt to much. I stayed away from everyone else, shut them out, even when they tried to help me. Especially when they tried to help me. And I suffered the worse for it. I… I want to be forgiven, more than anything. I know that I'm not alone anymore, and that Aerith never blamed me, but…" he looked to the sword. "I can't help but feel unworthy."

"Of what?" Riku whispered, not bearing to look the other man in the face.

"The light." Cloud answered lachrymally.

"Hmn." Riku looked up with forgiveness and comprehension. "That's the same with me too. All I had wanted was to get my friend back, because I promised that we'd meet again. But to do that, I had to make sacrifices. I let myself become consumed by whatever it was that it would take to get me back to that time. I tried to protect this girl, Kairi, but at the same time, I had to end up using her to lure Sora back. And in the end…" he gulped. "The darkness had become too close to me, infusing me so that I could no longer see the light. And more than that, I became a Heartless, or at least a partial host to one. And when everything looked like it would turn out okay, we were separated by fate once again. I underwent nearly having amnesia, being made a copy of, then having to fight it, being lied to, and…" he stopped himself short. "I… I… I still hungered for a taste of that darkness. Even though I denied it time and time again, it was still apart of me. It… it still is. Physically, I ended up taking on the appearance of another, of the one who had possessed me before, a guy who called himself 'Ansem'. I couldn't face my friends that way, but they found me anyways. And somehow… I was able to become myself again. My eyes –" he raised his hand to massage them. "I covered them with a silken blindfold, because they 'couldn't lie'. Heh, what it really meant though, was that they were turning gold, like 'Ansem's'. That's why I didn't want to be found.

"But recently… I don't know anymore. Nothing… nothing ever goes right for me. Just when everything was finally perfect, where I could begin to feel happy, my world changes. Am I not supposed to feel happiness ever again?!" he spat in frustration, hitting the ground with a fist. "The woman who I thought was my mother told me that she had adopted me. I was so angry that she had never told me before, even more so when she all but said I was a freak and that doctors actually quit their jobs because of me. I… I lost control. I'm not sure why or how, but the darkness that I had learned to overcome, to use as a weapon, that I had discarded months ago, it… came back. Only this time it's stronger. It's like I can't see anything, like nothing anyone says matters anymore, and I –" he looked at Cloud guiltily. "I stopped caring. And it scared me." he admitted feebly. "It happened right before I came to Hollow Bastion. Kairi and Sora were begging me not to leave but, the darkness… the last thing they remember of me is me yelling at them, all but telling them how worthless they are to me. I don't mean any of that, I'd never have said that, but it's like I can't control what it is that I'm saying sometimes. URGH! I just want these dreams to stop!"

"Dreams?" Cloud inquired, leaning in.

"Yeah, just stupid nightmares is all." The silver haired teen shrugged him off.

"What of?" Cloud insisted. Riku didn't reply for a while. The blonde was about to get up when he finally replied. "Sometimes I see myself, and sometimes I don't. But it's almost always the same. There's a man and a woman talking to each other, only when I wake up, I can never remember what it is that they've said, all I know is that they're talking about me. I'm on this… _table_… and it's like I'm going to get operated on, like in a hospital or something. I guess it makes sense, because when I was only four I was at the hospital for a long time, and I think I remember being well taken care of. I don't know why, but every time I wake up, I'm scared out of my mind and I'm sweating."

"Hmn." Cloud thought. "It may mean something, and it may not. But, Riku." He paused warily. "What I'm trying to say is, I can relate to how you must be feeling. While we've undergone different circumstances, we've both felt the same pain, loss, sadness… fear. We both shut ourselves away and we both refuse help." He looked into the teen's azure orbs. "I only said what I said because I don't want to see you hurt. Because I relate to you, and I want to try and stop you from making the same mistakes that I did."

"Ya, only you didn't do this." Riku scoffed, holding up his wrists.

"Says who?" Cloud whispered. Riku stared at him wide-eyed as Cloud stood to leave.

"Wait! Cloud! Are you saying –?" the blonde turned to him gravely.

"Don't lose sight of your light. I know when you find, all of the pain and memories will come back, but also the good ones too. Don't repeat the mistakes of a failure." The teen stood and watched him leave, joining Yuffie and exchanging a few terse words.

"Cloud… Cloud!" he shouted, running over to the pair. He glanced quickly at Yuffie, then diverted his eyes. "Cloud… I, uh…"

"I'm sorry too." Cloud grinned, seeing the other's shocked expression. Riku laughed nervously.

"Ya… and, uh… I don't think you're a failure." The blonde man stared at him long and hard.

"Thanks… and about your training?" Riku's head shot up, trying to keep from looking too hopeful. "I meant what I said. I really do want to work with you, you have a ton of potentional, more than you know. But I'm not about to give you knowledge that you can use against yourself." Riku frowned.

"Against… myself?"

"I understand how desperate you may feel at times. When you feel like you just need to escape and run away from it all?" Riku nodded. "Don't let it grow." Cloud answered cryptically, going over his futon and beginning to pack it away. Yuffie stood behind the teen, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Sooo, did he harass you?"

"No." Riku replied. "I just think we needed to get to know each other more. To know where it is we're coming from. I just never thought that Cloud had had suicidal thoughts before." He whispered. "No wonder why he feels the way he does."

"WHAT?!" Yuffie shrieked, turning Riku to face her. "He has what? Are you shitting me?"

"HAD! I said he _had_!" Riku protested, waving his hands in front of himself.

"That bastard." Yuffie huffed, letting go of Riku, who smiled casually.

"Yuffie? Thanks."

"Huh? For what?" she inquired sweetly.

"Everything. Between you and Cloud… I think I'm gonna be… alright."

* * *

"What the hell…?!" Exclaimed Cloud, the towhead's dewy cerulean orbs large with shock. Around the Edge, buildings seemed to be smoking from recently subdued fires; not anything dangerous, but smaller ones guaranteed to cause at least several hundred dollars in damage for each individual store. Windows were mercilessly shattered into hundreds of fragments that lay coruscating in the dim sun on the dusty ground; various bullet holes blemished signs against weaponry and other various such signs.

"CLOUD!" A red-faced Tifa jogged up to Cloud. She was still dressed in her black bar-tending outfit and her brunette tresses were matted with sweat, dancing in front of her auburn orbs, which seemed to burn irately, "I- you- they- who- COME ON!" She snatched his lower arm and broke into a run, dragged the confused spiky tressed young man with her.

"Tifa!" Cloud exclaimed, struggling to keep up with said bar tender, "What's going on? Who did this?"

"Take a WILD guess, Cloud!" She snarled in frustration, more at the culprits than Cloud himself.

"You don't mean-?" Moaned Cloud in disbelief, his eyes wide. Tifa curtly nodded in reply, her lips a thin line of impatience and anger, "Oh, Jesus H--- where the hell are they?"

"That's what Vincent and I have been trying to find out for the past FOUR HOURS!" The brunette screamed the later to the heavens in a sheer eruption of anger, her fingernails digging into the tender side of Cloud's upper arm.

"They travel fast." Commented the towhead lightly, his dewy orbs narrowed slightly in concentration, "Are they separated?"

"To hell if I know!" Tifa threw up her arms in exasperation, releasing Cloud's arm at last.

Meanwhile, Riku and Yuffie stood in the middle of the street, surveying the damage with concerned expressions.

"Damn." Swore the teen lightly as he flipped over a bullet-encrusted yellow sign advising safe driving with his foot, "Who did this?"

"This isn't _his_ work, now that's for sure…" Scoffed the dark-tressed ninja lightly as she wrapped her arms around herself, "But I'm still getting a bad feeling…"

"Brother!" a voice called. Riku whirled around wildly, seeing nothing. He looked up to a large heap of twisted and burning metal, and what he saw made him gasp. Atop the flaming debris was a young man only a few years older than himself with short, straight silver tresses donned in black leather. A long katana was strapped around his waist in some invisible sort of way, the blade's elaborate sheath resting dangerously against the back of his legs. But the man wasn't looking at Riku. Riku looked over his shoulder to see Cloud had pushed Tifa behind him defensively and had a semi-assembled First Tsurugi brandished before him.

"Kadaj!" Cloud yelled to him angrily. The man just chuckled maliciously.

"It's so good of you to join us, brother!" he said in near glee.

"She didn't bring you back for this!" Cloud's voice grew.

"No." Kadaj leaned forward slightly, tilting his head so that the firelight caught his eyes and made them flash. "But I am." In an instant, he had leaped off of the ruble, his sword, Shouba, in his left hand. Riku swore, and ran back a few paces, calling to the darkness deep within himself. In seconds, The Way to the Dawn had materialized in his hand. Bracing himself, he stood stock-still and took a deep breath, tuning into his sense of hearing. Before him Cloud stood similarly, but he was facing his opponent… or at least, he thought he was.

"Riku! You're not strong enough yet! Get out of the way!" Cloud called, eyebrows furrowed in concentration.

"Brother." A silky voice cooed.

"Wanna play?" a deeper one called. Cloud and Tifa spun around in shock.

"Oh, not you too!" Tifa cried, tugging on her leather fighting gloves.

"I gave you a chance." Cloud growled vehemently. "And you blew it." A strange smile crossed his face. "Don't hold back." He charged the two with a yell, Tifa taking on the closest silver haired man, who snorted and pulled out a silver gun smoothly. Riku snapped back to his senses, just in time to hear the pounding of feet on cement closing in on him. He winced, knowing he only had one chance to do this right. Three, two, one… Riku pivoted on his heel, raising the Keyblade before him, throwing off his attacker.

Kadaj recoiled in surprise, and then ducked the blow, sliding to the side and swinging Shouba at Riku's legs. The teen jumped over the swirling blade, turning his body in mid-air to counter the next strike. The two weapons clashed together, their wielder's forcing their weight against them, trying to drive the other off, leaving marginal time to land a finishing blow. With a grunt of effort, Riku used a surge of strength to push away, flipping twice in a T formation and landing a few yards away in a crouch.

Kadaj picked himself off the ground quickly, popping his neck in a quick motion. Riku snarled and jumped up, singing his Keyblade in a series of arcs, uppercuts, and side swings. Kadaj smirked, standing impassive. When Riku came within striking range, Kadaj knelt and vaulted over the Keybearer, slashing at his unprotected back. Riku gasped in shock, falling forward a little. He heard his attacker's delighted chuckle, imagining the double bladed katana swinging down to meet his flesh.

He heard the swish of the blade and did the only thing he could think of – he fell to the ground and flipped over, barring any further advances with The Way to the Dawn. Kadaj grinned cruelly, straddling the younger man. "It's time for you… to die!" Kadaj sadistically hissed, slicing down with Shouba. Riku's eyes widened, and he blocked the blow, wrenching his eyes shut. He could feel the sweat drip down his face as he anticipated the searing pain, but… there was only the dull clink of metal. Opening his azure eyes, he found himself staring at the very tip of two long sheets of metal, his own Keyblade wedged in between, sparing him.

Kadaj cocked his head, tresses swishing as he moved. "Hmn. You might as well tell me your name, seeing as I'm about to kill you."

"Riku." Was the growled response. Kadaj's cat-like eyes widened and his grip on Shouba loosened. Ignoring the strange reaction, the teen beneath him twisted his weapons handle so the head tore the katana away, casting it aside. Kadaj recovered quickly, leaping back and shaking his hand, little droplets of crimson cascading freely where the Keyblade had grazed him. Riku rolled over, bringing his weapon to him in a fluid motion, standing ready.

Both Kadaj and Riku's eyes flickered from each other to the discarded Shouba apprehensively. Riku snorted, ignoring the throbbing pain in his back, catching the other man's attention. Letting the tip of The Way to the Dawn drag along the pavement, Riku charged Kadaj, aiming just before his target as he ran to his weapon. Sparks flew from the Keyblade as it's wielder thrust it upward, catching Kadaj's shoulder. He howled in shock, a hand to his burning eyes. Taking a hold of the opportunity, Riku struck him down, the cold metal of The Way to the Dawn pressed against Kadaj's throat. The man glared up at him, and Riku felt a twinge of fear. He had never killed another human being before. Sure, there was Organization XIII, but they were Nobodies in the end. Not human, like him. But this hesitation was his mistake.

The older man slid between his legs, taking a second break for the weapon. With a growl of desperation, he lunged for it, grasping at it's handle, and then –

"Having fun, Riku?" Cloud asked nonchalantly, booting Kadaj sharply in the side and stepping on his chest firmly, the First Tsurugi pressed against his jaw. A little trickle of blood ran down Kadaj's neck as he struggled to get free. Riku approached wearily, panting heavily.

"Y-yeah." He choked out. "So… you're Kadaj, right?" he asked the man below Cloud's foot. Kadaj grunted as he tried to wriggle away again, pushing the blade deeper. Crying out in pain, he settled for glaring at the two men above him.

"Hmn. What's it to you… Riku?" he inquired icily. Cloud looked to the teen sharply.

"You told him your name?"

"Y-yeah. Was that a bad thing?" Riku asked nervously.

"Not unless you don't mind having a psychopath as a murderous stalker." Cloud rolled his eyes. He bent over and grabbed Kadaj roughly by the arm, jerking him up. "Come on, you." He growled menacingly.

"I don't have to go anywhere." Kadaj snarled in reply, yanking back his arm irately.

"To hell you do!" Cloud gave up, grabbing the older teen's leather collar and lifting him up like a pup, "And how the hell do you expect to pay for all this damage, huh?"

Kadaj shrugged nonchalantly, "Not my problem." Cloud tugged at Kadaj's collar, issuing a cry of pain from the elder teen as the leather cut into his neck wound. Riku started, taking a step foreword as Cloud held Kadaj an inch from his face and snarled:

"You're just like a child, aren't you?" His dewy blue eyes were narrowed in sheer disgust. He let Kadaj go as the silver tressed youth landed in a cat-like way on the ground, running his gloved hands through his silky tresses as Cloud started off. Kadaj stared at Riku with blue-green orbs, his expression unreadable. "Come on." Cloud growled firmly when he realized Kadaj wasn't following.

Riku stared after them, his azure eyes wide, "Wait! What's going on?" He inquired suddenly, shaking his head to himself.

"We're going home." Announced the towhead. Riku looked at Kadaj, who was sulkily following Cloud along.

'With _him_?!" Riku gaped at the elder teen before him, "He just tried to kill me!"

"We'll make sure he won't try that again." Said the blonde softly, and there was no more discussion as they returned to the bar. Tifa was irately scrubbing the counters with a look of sheer malice on her face as she did. Loz and Yazoo were sitting quietly before her, each gripping a drink, their expressions slightly defeated. Riku had never been more confused. Here were these three people whom had just tried to kill them; and they were inviting them into their home as if they were a couple of misbehaved children.

"Have you seen Yuffie?" Cloud inquired as he sat down at the bar, dragging Kadaj with him. Tifa picked up a drink and began to wipe it with a fresh rag, though it glass was perfectly clean she scrubbed so hard that Riku saw several cracks appear in the glass.

"She ran off during the battle. Probably went home." Said the brunette in a voice much calmer than how angry she appeared.

Cloud rolled his dewy cerulean eyes, "Probably wanted to surprise him…"

Tifa snorted in reply and looked up to Riku with her auburn orbs. She narrowed them in confusion, "Have we met?"

"Uh…" Riku began, slightly lost for words as his eyes darted around the room.

"This is Riku. I met him in Hallow Bastion." Cloud explained curtly as Tifa seized the teen up and nodded, her expression finally relaxed; in fact, she gave him a small smile.

"Its nice to meet you, Riku-kun." She beamed politely, "My name is Tifa- Tifa Lockheart."

Cloud fidgeted uncomfortably and Riku smirked lightly to himself… he had a feeling that Cloud wanted that last name to be "Strife".

"Its nice to meet you, Lockheart-San." The teen bowed appropriately, silver tresses falling over his azure orbs. Kadaj snorted, muttering something about "suck-up". Tifa shot Kadaj a look before returning her attention to Riku.

"Tifa's fine. Just Tifa." She corrected, still smiling, "Would you like anything to drink, Riku-kun?"

"Uhh…" The teen scratched at the back of his head nervously. This was obviously a bar, and he obviously wasn't the legal drinking age. Tifa looked to him with her soft auburn eyes, "Can I have some ice water, please?"

"Coming right up!" Tifa smiled, going to fetch a non-broken glass, "Oh, and Cloud, what do you want for dinner?"

"Beer." Cloud replied, rubbing the bridge of his nose with her thumb and index finger, Tifa sighed, exasperated.

"Cloud. Beer isn't a food." She retorted lightly.

"Yeah it is… its made of bread. It's a food." He grumbled in exhaustion.

"Seriously, Cloud." The brunette sighed as she poured Riku a glass of water, "What do you want for dinner?"

"… beer."

"Cloud!" Tifa slammed down the glass, turning to him, "_Beer-is-not-a-food_!"

"Yes it is." He replied with a soft sigh, "Its one of the four major food groups."

"And what are those?" Tifa crossed her arms over her chest, scowling.

"Beer… pretzels." Cloud stopped, narrowing his eyes in concentration, "More beer… more pretzels."

Tifa growled out in exasperation, throwing up her arms in a defeated way as Cloud smirked at Riku. The teen shyly grinned back before taking a seat next to Cloud.

After a while, Riku felt the hairs on the small of his neck stand up and glanced over to Kadaj, whom was looking at him with blue-green orbs narrowed in concentration and confusion. As soon as Kadaj realized that he was starting, he snorted and looked away quickly. Riku frowned and turned foreword, picking up his glass of water, which was leaking out of a crack Tifa had put on it when she'd slammed it down. Once more, he looked up after he got that familiarly uneasy sensation.

Kadaj was staring at him again.

"See something you like?" Cloud's voice came from nowhere. Riku jumped and looked away quickly just as Kadaj blanched.

"NO! You are depraved, Nii-san!" Snapped the elder teen, throwing out his arm, "I was just wondering…" Kadaj stood up and stormed over to Riku, grabbing the younger teen by his collar and standing him up. He turned to face Cloud so that both he and Riku were facing the towhead, "Why he looks like one of us!"

**End Chapter 5**


	6. Dolorem

**Jenova's Children **

**By Kawaii and Junsui**

**Author's Note: **WE LIVE!!! I am so, SO sorry for the big gap in-between updates... its been really hard to find time to sit down and write this between School, Finals, Christmas, and the fact that mah daddy just had surgery (8 inches of his large intestine removed... ewwe...) Yeah, kinda a short chapter here with nothing but character development, blah, blah, blah... wanted to add more but we had to cut it short and move it to the beginning of chappie seven. I hope to get that out in a couple of weeks at least... blarg. Anywho, please enjoy chapter six of Jenova's Children! More to come soon!

**Chapter 6**

**Dolorem**

There was an awkward silence in the bar as all eyes turned to Riku. The teen squirmed uncomfortably under the attention. There was a reason Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo looked that way, silver hair and blue-green eyes… and it wasn't a good reason, either. Riku felt that from their presence… it was almost like it was meant to intimidate people like the markings on a butterfly, and at the same time, the look had a… feeling about it.

Cloud decided to speak up and break the tension, "Maybe its time I showed you your room, Riku."

"Huh? Oh!" The silver-tressed teenager jumped up beside Cloud and began to follow him up the stairs.

"Just have him sleep in Denzel's bed, I'm sure the kids wouldn't mind sharing a bed at this age." Tifa called from behind the bar.

"EWWW! Tifa, do I have to sleep with Denzel?" Marlene squeaked.

"Uh-"

"It's okay." Riku paused at the first landing on the stairs. "I can just sleep on the couch or something."

"No." Cloud shook his head. "We'll get you a room, there's enough spare."

"So why the hell do we have to sleep in the bar?!" Loz moaned, plopping down in a seat moodily.

"Because the three of you are not to be trusted, as proven by today's little experience. Riku is a guest of honor- the three of you are merely vagabond delinquents that are lucky enough to have landed in a place where there is actually a roof above your heads." The towhead spat, eyeing each of the three "brothers" coldly.

"Why are you avoiding the question at hand?" Kadaj asked in a deathly whisper, cocking his head slightly in a near menacing way.

"I-" Riku began.

"That doesn't matter right now." Tifa interrupted, sensing something was amiss. She'd grill Cloud on that later if she had to. "You're in BIG trouble right now. Especially you, Kadaj. Plan on telling me how you plan to earn all the money you now owe Edge?"

"ME?!" the teen protested in rage. "They attacked you too!" he pointed to Loz and Yazoo accusingly, who backed away from the younger sibling nervously.

"And who was it that was priding themselves on being the leader, brother?" Yazoo smiled maliciously.

"You asshole." Kadaj glared. "Backstabbing traitor."

"Oh contraire, shorty!" Tifa snarled, clenching the teen's wrist in her hand. "I'll tell you how you're going to earn that money-" She took him and situated Kadaj behind the bar, "Like THIS."

"You want me to stand here and look all gay?"

"No, I want you to stand here and take orders."

"What do I look like, a Hooters girl?!"

"This isn't the time, Kadaj." Tifa growled. "You and your partners in crime are going to work here for more than just your stay, and this isn't all you'll be doing either."

"What else?" Kadaj snickered, his eyes flitting up and down rapidly. Simultaneously, there was the scathing sound of metal being drawn and flesh hit flesh with massive amounts of force. Riku took a huge note of this – never, never, ever, under any circumstance, hit on Tifa… EVER. Regaining her composure, the woman continued.

"Loz, I want you to help Cloud with the delivery service. Yazoo, you'll help around the house and do a few odd jobs at the shop next door, seeing as you can sew and all." The longest haired man looked away with slight shame, but hey, someone had to know the housework stuff. "All three of you will work here Monday through Thursdays. You'll get half days on weekends, and depending on the crowds on the weekends, you'll get half-days then too. That should be enough to pay off what you owe. Now for _you_." She whirled around to face the brother still standing behind the counter.

"WHAT?! Isn't that enough? Why do I get more work than them?"

"Because you caused more trouble."

"You're just victimizing me 'cause I'm the youngest, aren't you?" Kadaj pouted angrily, crossing his arms over his chest.

"No, generally I like the younger ones. Apparently, I stand corrected." The black tressed woman cleared her throat. "As for you, Mister, you're going to work community service."

"NO. FUCKIN'. WAY!"

"Yes way. And you'll start by helping renovate and re-supply all the stores that you destroyed. Then you're going to work at the district office and repaint the signs exactly the way they want you to. After that, you're going to help the other city crew, mainly the W.R.O. rebuild the city. Oh, and somewhere in there you are going to have to squeeze in your time working here, busing tables, and doing your basic chores around the house. Hope you have fun!" she grinned sadistically.

"You've got to be joking me." the teen whimpered, his eyes filling with horror.

"Get your head outta the clouds, 'cause work starts tomorrow buster!" Tifa shrugged unsympathetically. "And if that isn't enough of a burden, then I'll also let you know that we're friends with the head of the W.R.O., Reeves, and he'll be keeping tabs on you for us when you're out. And besides for that, the police are after you for your arrest and are only barely letting us keep you here, so you'd better be grateful."

"B-but…" Kadaj stammered. "I'M NOT A CHILD THAT HAS TO BE WATCHED OVER!" he burst out, eyes flashing. Tifa's lip curled, and she slapped him again.

"Until you start behaving like an adult, we'll treat you like a child. Until you can show us that you're mature enough to handle this, maybe we'll back off a bit. Hopefully you'll earn some respect and responsibility after learning how others suffer from your own greedy escapades."

"Funny, I didn't see you ever try to teach blondie here that." the teen scoffed, nodding towards Cloud. Tifa's chocolate orbs widened in shock. "And don't even bother asking what I mean because you're just talking shit if you say you don't." he added, crossing his arms over his chest triumphantly.

"Kadaj, I think you should go tidy up behind the counter." Cloud said seriously. "Yazoo and Loz, you pitch in too." Stiffly, he turned around and marched up the stairwell. Riku blinked at the three similar boys before following after the older man, his head swimming with a mixture of thoughts.

* * *

Riku blinked icy azure eyes warily as he ran a hand through his silver bangs. A heavy feeling had come over his eyelids, and he found them fluttering downwards, threatening to close. It was so nice being in an actual bed for a change, as well as having his own room instead of sleeping next to a loudly snoring ninja in the freezing cold. The mere though of cold caused the teen to draw the heavy plaid comforter around him even tighter as he flopped over in bed, realizing how uncomfortable his jeans were to sleep in, as the buttons and zippers were poking into him and it was much to cold to sleep without them.

'_I need new clothes._' He thought grumpily, turning over once more; it wasn't a matter of comfort, but only a measure to keep himself awake. The drooping of Riku's eyes mixed with the cool darkness in the room created an alluring atmosphere for sleep. But the silver-tressed youth merely shifted in place, prying his eyes open. He needed to think… he always thought before he went to sleep; it was the way he concluded each day, summarizing thoughts in his head.

Kadaj's green-blue eyes staring intently at him flashed into Riku's mind and he turned over to mash his face into the soft pillow. It was uncanny how much they resembled each other… a disturbing thought crossed Riku suddenly. He was adopted. He had no memories of his past. He looked almost exactly like Kadaj…

'_Enough thinking. You need sleep._' Riku told himself firmly, and he found himself having to force his eyes shut. His sleep was deep and dreamless; save for hazel orbs watching him fondly through a sea of raven tresses.

* * *

Cloud looked around the now desolate bar. Darkness hung from every corner, the moonlight creeping through small cracks from the closed windows, casting foreboding shadows upon the floors. The air was still yet dense all the same. The floorboards squeaked under his metal-toed boots. Sighing heavily, he strode over to the single candle in the room – although everything else was run electrically – and blew it out. Silently, he watched for a mere moment the artistic way that the smoke curled and twisted before the backdrop of ebony.

With a final glance around the room, he strode up the steps, treading as lightly as he could. At the top landing, he frowned, seeing a crack of flickering light seep over the floorboards. He approached the half-open door with caution, rapping softly on the doorframe. When there was no answer, he pushed the door open. The room was used for only storage these days, and was an unpleasant draft. Heavy dark plaid curtains hung over the cracked windows, shards of glass still cluttered on the ground and sill. Water stained yellowing walls and odd furniture adorned the otherwise empty space. Against the corner was a broken down couch, piled with blankets. Beside it was a rickety wooden nightstand atop which sat a single black twisted candle. A silver tressed teen sat on the couch comfortably, an oversized book with scarlet binding spread open on his lap. Without moving his head, Kadaj raised his cerulean eyes to meet Cloud's. They flashed momentarily with some malicious thought, and in the shadows of the singular candle, his pale skin fell to shadows, making the sockets of his eyes seem unnaturally dark.

"Kadaj…" Cloud cocked his head curiously.

"While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door." Kadaj muttered darkly, grinning.

"What?" the blonde started, trying to ignore the strange thought that arose in the back of mind.

"'Tis some visitor,' I muttered, 'tapping at my chamber door – Only this, and nothing more.'" Kadaj continued, his grin widening to reveal slightly exaggerated canines.

"Kadaj, you should be in bed by now, in case you forgot your work starts tomorrow. You'll need all the rest you can get." Cloud shook his head, a creeping feeling of fear rising in his chest. "_The Raven"__, Sephiroth's favorite poem. How could I have forgotten?_

From the recesses of Cloud's mind, an old memory arose, much like the tortured ones of his forgotten past that seemed to return even more rapidly to him these days. Cloud, as a young SOLDIER in training, walked alongside Zack through the base camp, the slightly elder boy yammering on about some girl before stopping abruptly, his eyes going wide. The young Cloud followed his gaze as a tall man dressed in dark clothing countered by his long silver tresses walked past them with a long stride. In his hands was clasped the very same sort of book Kadaj held with "_The Raven"_ inscribed on the front in elegant red characters. As soon as the warlord looked up to see the two young men staring at him in awe, as it was not every day you had a chance to look upon a legend. Sephiroth's lips curled into a smile as he read a small passage from the book before continuing on:

"'Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing, Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortals ever dared to dream before'" the silver tressed youth continued amusedly, nodding to the darkness behind Cloud, concluding the blonde's memory in a chilling way by quoting the exact same phrase. Willing himself not to look back, he tried to talk to the teen again, hitting the doorframe to draw his attention.

"Kadaj, honestly. Stop messing around and get to bed."

"'Soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before. "Surely," said I, "Surely that is something at my window lattice: Let me see, then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore – Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore; – 'Tis the wind and nothing more." Upon here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter, In there stepped a stately raven of the saintly days of yore; Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he; But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door – Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door – Perched, and sat, and nothing more.'" Another devilish smirk.

"That's enough, Kadaj." Cloud growled.

"'Much I marveled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly, Though its answer little meaning- little relevancy bore.'" With a single hand he closed the book.

"Enough, I said!" the blonde threatened.

"'This I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressing, To the fowl whose fiery eyes now burned into my bosom's core; This and more I sat divining, with my head at ease reclining, On the cushion's velvet lining that the lamplight gloated o'er, But whose velvet violet lining with the lamplight gloating o'er.'" Kadaj replied, pushing back further into the cushion of the couch.

"This is ridiculous." Cloud scorned. "Fine then. I'm trying to show some compassion, but if you want to blow me of, then fine. Suit your own damn self. I'm gonna get some sleep. You'll see tomorrow just how right I am!" Kadaj stared blindly into him. "Are you even listening to me?!" growling in annoyance, Cloud moved passed the doorway, heading to his room. But not before hearing the ghastly whisper of, "Nevermore." The light behind him snuffed out, and with an involuntary shudder, he could envision Kadaj glaring at him dangerously out from the folds of midnight.

* * *

"G'morning." Riku uttered softly as he walked down the stairs into the bar. Sitting on the tall seats before it was Marlene, whom was eating breakfast quietly, Denzel, wolfing down his eggs as if it were his last day on earth, and Cloud, whom was quietly sipping coffee. Behind the bar was Tifa, humming pleasantly as she glanced up with chocolate orbs into Riku's icy ones.

"Oh! Good morning, Riku-kun." She greeted pleasantly with a soft smile, "What would you like for breakfast?"

"Um… not anything particular, just some cereal, maybe." The teen shrugged as he plopped down onto a barstool next to Cloud. He glanced over at the towhead and found that he was holding a gray newspaper in his hands, shaking his head slowly. The front page depicted a large color picture of a pharmacy with smashed-in windows, which large flames crept out of.

"Okay!" Tifa chirped pleasantly, "Kadaj, could you get me the milk?"

"What am I, your slave?!" Said silver-tressed youth yelled as he popped up from behind the counter. Riku jumped, not expecting him to be there and blinked several times in shock, "Can I just fix this fucking sink first?!"

Marlene gasped audibly and clapped a hand over her mouth, brown eyes wide. Cloud looked at Marlene, concerned, and then scowled at Kadaj, "Hey, watch the language." He scolded.

Kadaj growled irately, narrowing his blue-green orbs and tossing a dirty dishrag onto the floor, "Fuck this!" He spat, "I'm not staying here and making a fool out of myself!"

With that, he promptly leapt over the counter and sprinted for the door; Cloud growled and stood up to follow him, but was stopped by an arm Riku threw out.

"Don't." Said the silver-tressed teen softly, "I'll get him."

Cloud frowned, and then nodded with a small, "Yeah." Before Riku tore after Kadaj.

Being as nimble as he was, and always inhumanly fast, Riku was able to keep a good distance behind Kadaj as well as keep track of him because of the characteristic silver hair. Riku was surprised to actually see many people give him frightened looks as he sprinted after Kadaj; one woman even screamed and grabbed her child from Riku's path. He was once more brought back to the fact that people actually _feared_ those with the appearance of… whatever it was. Even though Riku had done nothing at all to harm them, he looked intimidating; especially when he was putting his unreal speed to the test.

Eventually, he followed Kadaj out of the city and back into the desolate wasteland that surrounded Edge and past the rusting and abandoned Buster Sword that Riku had seen Cloud plant in the ground the previous evening… and then into a slightly dodgy looking area that appeared to be ruins. When he realized Kadaj was slowing down, Riku decided to track him from a distance, studying the destroyed buildings overgrown with dried vines.

Riku then noticed Kadaj head into a set of wooden doors torn off of their hinges, one resting on the ground, and the other leaning in a dangerous way. He followed the elder boy into the church, studying the crushed wooden pews scattered around half of the building, and eventually, the large pool of water with white flowers blooming at its edges. Kadaj promptly plopped down into the flowers and caressed one in his hand, a frown drooping onto his face as a single tear ran down his cheek, "Haha-ue…"

'_Haha-ue_?' Riku thought, '_That means… honorable mother? Its an old term…_'

Stepping foreword, the younger teen treaded on a thin shard of wood that splintered and cracked under his foot, causing Kadaj's head to snap up, his pupils mere cat-like slits.

"What do you want?" He hissed coldly, dropping the caress on the pale flower, his blue-green eyes narrowed dangerously.

Riku frowned; words lingering on his lips as he walked over to the small patch of flowers and knelt beside Kadaj. The silence that followed was long and awkward as Riku looked for words… and that strange dream returned to him. The hazel eyes…

"Do you ever dream?" The words left his lips before he could stop them. Kadaj chuckled airily.

"Oh, then, I see Queen Mab of dreams has been with you." Commented the silver-tressed young man, his eyes coruscating with mischief.

"Who, now?" Riku inquired, cocking his head to one side in confusion. Kadaj laughed again and grinned cockily.

"She is the fairies' midwife, and she comes in shape no bigger than an tiny stone on the forefinger of a child, drawn with a team of tiny creatures upon men's noses as they lie asleep; her wagon-spokes made of long spiders' legs, the cover of the wings of grasshoppers, the traces of the smallest spider's web, the collars of the moonshine's watery beams, her whip of cricket's bone, the lash of film, her wagoner a small gray-coated gnat, not so big as a round little worm drawn from the earth; her chariot is an empty hazel-nut made by the old squirrel. She gallops across the night, through lovers' brains, and then they dream of love; Over lawyers' fingers, who dream of won trials, over ladies ' lips, who straight on kisses dream. But sometimes this Queen Mab becomes irate, because their dreams are sometimes tainted. Sometime she gallops over a rich man's nose, and then he dreams of money, and sometime comes she with a feather tickling a person's nose as they sleep, then dreams, he of another benefice: sometime she drives over a soldier's neck, and then dreams he of cutting foreign throats, of breaches, ambuscades, Spanish blades, death all around; and then comes rums in his ear, at which he starts and wakes, and being thus freighted swears a prayer or two and sleeps again! This is that very Mab that tangles the hair of children in the night! And twists them into foul sluttish hairs, which once untangled, much misfortune bodes: this is the ghost, when innocent girls lie on their backs, that rapes them and teachers them to bear, making them women of good carriage: This is she—"

"What are you yelling about!?" Riku gaped at Kadaj, whom had stood up and began to strut around the church, screaming his speech to the high ceilings.

"Shakespeare."

"What?" Riku shook his head, a sheet of silver fanning out around him.

"William Shakespeare, a popular playwright of the Renaissance." Kadaj informed him, gazing down wistfully at the petal in his hand. "I was quoting Mercutio, of 'Romeo and Juliet', I trust you've heard of it."

"Yea." Riku shrugged, sitting down on the floorboards a yard away. "So… you're into plays and stuff?" he asked after a brief lapse of time.

"Not necessarily." Kadaj replied mysteriously. Right as the other teen was about to ask him to explain he continued, "My true love is Poe. Shakespeare is reminiscent in a sense, but was a forbearer to Poe in fact. Do you know that he died at age forty and was found half conscious in the streets?" he asked sadistically.

"Hmn." Riku nodded concernedly. "He also used opium and was an alcoholic."

"And?" Kadaj shrugged, stroking a singular petal.

"He was insane!" Riku spelled out, as if it was the obvious answer. "He seems to have hated cats as well, and obviously had crazy, suicidal sort of thoughts."

"Crazy?" Kadaj pondered, his voice taking on a disturbing edge. "Or brilliant? There is a fine line between such –" he tossed the tiny blossom into the water. "I have erased this line."

"What?" Riku drew back, preparing to summon his Keyblade.

"Have you never considered what lies beyond the end?" Kadaj posed.

"Beyond the end? As in death?"

"Have you never tempted a peek?"

"What are you trying to –?"

"Can you blame a man for wanting to know?"

"I still don't – "

"So can you truly call him crazy?"

There was silence.

"When all fails, and the darkness blocks the light from your eyes, are you crippled? Do you let yourself grow weak and weary, or do you grow from it? Do you let the darkness win, or do you overcome it?" Kadaj continued.

"I have turned my back on the darkness." Riku breathed. "It is not wanted here."

"But what is the darkness but the absence of light? Is it so horrible, should it be frowned upon so? Is it the darkness we fear, or what lies hidden within it? Are we truly just afraid of the shadows within our own hearts?"

"I am the darkness, yet I am not. I shun it, I care nothing for it, I no longer lust for its power." Riku argued. "The darkness is a thing of evil, it corrupts and corrodes, there is no good to it."

"Is that what they told you, or is that what you believe?" Still more silence. "So it is what you wish to believe. But do you? Deep down within your own dark memories do you believe so? Can't you see that the darkness is a blessing? For deep in that abyss, you are blind to sight only, and can know only what your other senses tell you. The darkness hides all flaws, and is the essence of what is truly perfect. It holds no lies, for none shall be spoken when there is no lie to be seen?" Kadaj's lips curled into a snarl, glaring maliciously into Riku's orbs. Suddenly, his eyes misted over and he gasped, collapsing into a heap. Riku extended an hand to him, shocked, then recoiled as words echoed back to him, "Is all that we see or seen but a dream within a dream?"

"What the hell?!" the conscious teen breathed. The words were Kadaj's, but his lips hadn't moved. He just lay with enlarged, glassy eyes, breathing shallowly. "What's going on?!" Riku demanded, rising to his feet.


	7. Funesta

**Jenova's Children **

**By Kawaii and Junsui**

**Author's Note: **Kawaii and Junsui here, with chapter seven! Muhahahaha... we sure do love teh cliffes, don't we Junsui-chan? NERP! Erm... anywho, this is probably my favorite chappie so far... French... lolz... yeah, I'm random today, aren't I? X3 Remember, more reviews equal more story. So review, review, REVIEW!

**Chapter 7**

**Funesta**

"What the hell?!" the conscious teen breathed. The words were Kadaj's, but his lips hadn't moved. He just lay with enlarged, glassy eyes, breathing shallowly. "What's going on?!" Riku demanded, rising to his feet.

"Then, methought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer  
Swung by Seraphim whose foot-falls tinkled on the tufted floor." The voice responded, deepening and maturing.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?! Where are you?!" Riku shouted, spirals of doubt and nervousness creeping across his chest.

"Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter, In there stepped a stately raven of the saintly days of yore. Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he; But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door - Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door - Perched, and sat, and nothing more." From the shadowy depths of the church appeared a tall, lithe man. He was swathed in thick leather, steel toed boots, steel pauldrons, and across his bare part of chest were crossed two straps of leather. A sadistic smile played across thin pale lips, barely more flushed than his ghostly pallor. Sheets of silver spilled over his broad shoulders, brushing against the floorboards, blowing in an unseen breeze. Cold, thin metal pressed against Riku's jaw line, and he steadily gazed across the six foot katana's edge to it's owner. He traced the outline of the man's body, locking eyes. Twin orbs gazed into each other, one in shock, and the other holding a penetrating, knowing glare. Sephiroth's thin smile twisted into a look of triumph as he lowered the Masumune's tip to the ground.

"Sephiroth." Riku breathed, not daring to look away.

"Do you remember me, little one?"

"R-remember…?" the silver tressed teen backed away slightly. "What… I've heard about you. About the misery you caused everyone, the death, destruction, everything." He said resolutely, glaring with hatred.

"Is that what they told you?" the superior SOLDIER sneered. "Figures. I'd be willing to bet they never told you what they did to _me_. Or to Mother."

"Whatever they did to you must have been well deserved." Riku shrugged, coursing with boldness. "And who the hell at this age goes crying off to his mother or is so defensive of the subject?" the teen's lips curled into a triumphant snarl. "Wuss."

Within a blink of an eye, Riku was pinned to the wall, his feet dangling several inches off of the ground. The silver-tressed youth grabbed at the gloved hand's fingers wrapped tightly around his neck, attempting to pry them off as he struggled for breath, feebly kicking his feet as he stared into the man's blue-green irises. A sadistic smirk curled onto Sephiroth's pale lips as he became dangerously near to Riku's face, "You shouldn't talk about your mother that way."

"My…?" Riku wheezed as his vision began to bleed white. The teen's lungs froze in place and the tingling within them transformed into burning as he felt his heart beat against them rapidly. As quickly as the horrible sensation had come, it was over as Riku was dropped to the ground, crumpled up in a heap as he placed a single hand over his chest and rapidly gasped for air, "_My_… mother…? You mean…?" He panted.

"More specifically, _our_ mother, little brother." Smirked the ex-warlord as he towered over Riku, staring down at the helpless teen with merciless eyes of a kaleidoscope of jade and indigo. Riku's own eyes of icy azure suddenly shot open wide, as his pupils became cat-like slits; bursts of green exploding into them as they did. He quickly scrambled to his feet and attempted to move off, but a sudden pain shot through his head and Riku was on the ground seconds later, clutching his head as his pupils rapidly dilated and shrunk back to slits. Sephiroth turned towards the boy, a light smirk forming on his lips.

Flashes of memories played before Riku's eyes; the jagged bracelet dangling off of his pale wrist, a searing pain shooting through his body, and finally, the chillingly emotionless automated voice of the computer: "Commencing Project R.I.K.U Jenova #1445."

Riku

Jenova

There was no denying it. The words were placed right together as plain as day. The pain finally subsided and Riku pushed himself off of the ground, staring at the tall man that was calmly approaching him as tears leaked out of his eyes that were now subsiding back to their normal shade of ice blue; the warm spheres of liquid rolled down his pale cheeks and landed on the ground before him, each drop marking the degree of sadness that had manifested within Riku's heart.

"You… you're not lying, are you?" The boy whispered, his hands balling into loose fists that gathered small amounts of dirt dampened by his tears.

"I wouldn't lie to you, little brother." Sephiroth spoke in his deep voice that was shockingly honest, as he knelt next to Riku, whom was still crying profusely, "Not like _them_." He spat in disgust.

"Who…" Choked Riku, looking up into Sephiroth's shockingly calm eyes with his tearstained ones of icy azure. The teen was trembling violently with anger, hurt, and betrayal, "_Who did this to me?!_" Riku yelled, his voice shaking as much as his body.

"The question is… who didn't?" The man with the long, silver tresses inquired as he placed a heavy, gloved hand on Riku's shoulder in an odd gesture of false comfort, "Everyone. Everyone in the lie." A woman with a shaded face pushing back his hair as a constant beep sounded throughout the room and a man with words as cruel as a whip, "The one whom you called 'Mother', whom fed you the lies from the beginning." A weeping woman with crystal blue eyes and white-blonde hair, clutching a tiny bracelet, "Those whom see you as the lie and helped you to grow into it." A boy with spiky brunette tresses staring at him with disgusted blue orbs and a redheaded girl sobbing at his bloodstained body. "And the ones who knew the lie all along, but never tried to stop it." A man with spiky blonde tresses and dewy eyes, a small woman short with dark hair falling over large brown orbs, and yet another obsidian-tressed woman all peering at him worriedly as if he were about to spontaneously combust at any second, "They. All. Lied. To. You." Sephiroth spoke each word clear and bold and Riku let out a sob and recoiled into himself, tears rolling down his cheeks faster than ever.

* * *

Riku gasped and lurched upwards, looking around in a crazed panic. His heart palpitated at an accelerated rate, sweat drenching his body. He clutched at his head, snaking fingers through matted silver tresses, massaging his temples, trying to alleviate the throbbing pain. When he had calmed down enough, he raised his head cautiously and scanned the room. Nothing was out of place – it was the same guest bedroom as Cloud had showed him. Something fluttered against the bare skin on his arm. He started, and then laughed hoarsely when he realized it was only the curtain. Clenching the fabric in a shaking fist, he pulled it along the rod and unleashed the rays of sunlight. It was morning. 

Memories of the ghastly dream floated back to him. In it he remembered leaving the bar early in the morning and wandering around until he came to a church. It was beautiful, and would have been magnificent had it not been destroyed, like everything around it. Kadaj was there too… on the ground. He had answered cryptically, only answering in lines from different poems, Edgar Allan Poe, Shakespeare, and the like. And then he had collapsed and… Riku wrenched his eyes shut, blocking out the rest of the nightmare. It was too weird. He didn't even know what Sephiroth looked like, but somehow something within him told him that… it just felt right. Somehow he knew it was Sephiroth. Perhaps it was the clothes he wore, or his physical appearance, the eyes and hair that were so similar to his own and that of the three brothers. Or maybe it was the voice; deep and strong and cruel, feeling almost comforting with an unsettling edge, like a honeyed blade. Riku growled at himself to stop thinking about it.

Sighing, he popped the tense muscles along his spine and shoulder blades and through off the clammy sheets, shaking himself of the feeling of them plastered against his skin. Taking a tentative step towards the bureau, Riku found a new outfit set out for himself in the middle drawer where he had placed his previous clothing the night before. In ways it was very similar to what he had grown accustomed too, at least in fit around his muscular frame, only slightly more elaborate. The first layer (excluding his boxers) consisted of the same type of black sleeveless tank top he had worn prior that unzipped down the front with a thick silver zipper pull that was very reminiscent of Roxas'. Folded beneath this was a pair of black wash jeans with what seemed to be more pockets and loops for guns and ammo belts or pouches. He had retained his three layer stud belt and silver, black, and yellow shoes however.

He poked around for the yellow and white puffy jacket and wrist bands and finally came upon another drawer… which consequently was just below the previous one. He frowned at the folded cloth and removed it from it's holdings, letting it open itself up as he held it out. He smiled cockily upon figuring the article's being – a dark brown trench coat with a slightly lighter liner. Three thick straps ran across the front spaced about an inch apart, and held to the cloth by elegant yet masculine silver braces and buckles, much like as he would come to see, Vincent's cape was belted at the neck. All dressed – and reminding himself to purchase new accessories – he tiptoed through the strewn mess on the floor – mind you the room had been vacant and used as storage for many a year – and proceeded down to the kitchen.

The table was already set out, place servings for ten. Ten? Riku's cerulean orbs danced around the crowded scene, taking everything in. Tifa was busy helping Marlene get started buttering her waffle, Denzel was sitting beside the other orphan observing the two. Every now and then he'd make a sly comment or compliment Tifa on her motherly skills. The woman would promptly blush and thank him, returning to her other tasks and minding the others. Cloud watched her from the easy chair, trying to stay as much out of the way as possible. He smiled softly when he thought no one was looking staring in Tifa's general direction. Yazoo had done an apron, which wouldn't have been half as comical if it hadn't been a pink "Piyo Piyo" one that Marlene gave to Tifa for Easter last year. But somehow he managed to make apron look relatively manly… sorta… seeing as he was a bisexual and all. In any case, he whisked about the kitchen, a frying pan in one hand and dishes in the other, going to and fro the kitchen, sink, and table, cleaning as he went. Loz sat at one end of the table, across from the orphans. Yuffie entered the room with her arm draped around the waist of a tall, attractive, pale skinned man with flowing ebony tresses and a scarlet tattered cape. He chuckled softly under his breath as Marlene won the fifth round of Go-Fish.

"Heheh… Loz-onii-san lost again!" she giggled, shuffling the over sized cards haphazardly in her tiny hands. Tifa winced slightly upon hearing the affectionate nickname. The silver haired men were still not meant to be trusted fully just yet. Not that the kid's saw, however.

"Gosh darn it!" he huffed. "Again?" he asked eagerly.

"YAY!" Marlene cheered. "Hey, Loz-onii-san?" she asked, dealing out the cards.

"Ya?"

"Looking forward to Halloween?" she quipped. "I wanna go as Tifa!"

"Halloween?" Loz frowned, cocking his head to the side.

"You don't know what Halloween is?!" Marlene cried incredously. "It's only the best holiday ever! You get to dress up as whatever you wanna be, get candy, and stay up real late!"

"Halloween is for little kids." Denzel scoffed from over his cereal.

"It is not!" the girl stuck her tongue out at him. "Right, Loz-onii-san?"

"Uh… sure. See, my brothers and I don't celebrate any holidays." He explained with a nonchalant shrug.

"Why?!" the kids cried in surprise.

"Because we're Jenova's Witnesses!" Loz smiled.

"That's _Jehovah's_ Witness, dumbass." Yazoo sighed, setting a platter of scrambled eggs and sausage before his brother. "Which we are not. Actually, we don't follow anything at the present, as far as religion goes. I mean, we aren't hardly baptized or anything." Loz shuddered audibly, remembering how Aeris' curing water had burned them before.

"Yazoo-kun?" Denzel quipped, poking at a biscuit. "Do they really not celebrate anything?"

"Yes, they don't have holidays." The older man confirmed with a nod. "And where the hell were you?!" he exclaimed, voice hardening as he pointed an accusatory spatula at the front door. Kadaj rolled his eyes and shed his jacket. Yawning, he plopped down at the kitchen table and put his head in his arms.

"Leave me alone, I'm tired." He growled half-heartedly.

"I still want to know where you were at. You left really early and didn't even leave a note!" his brother continued, replacing the pots and pans.

"Yes, _Mother_." Kadaj drawled irately.

"Don't say that!" Loz whispered loudly. "I don't want to hear that word again!"

"Whatever." The teen scoffed, straightening up. "I was at that old church if you must know." Riku's eyes widened as he stood stock still on the last landing. "Didn't intend for things to take so long, I guess I fell asleep."

"What kind of things?" Cloud asked, seating himself beside Vincent and Yuffie.

"What's it matter?" Kadaj said defensively.

"You will tell me what you were up too." Cloud said firmly.

"I-!" Kadaj began angrily, then sighed sheepishly and stared at his fork, watching the way light reflected off of it. "I was looking for… I just… I was trying to remember Mother." He whispered.

"Kadaj, Jenova has been destroyed. The last thoughts of Geostigma are dead." The towhead reminded him.

"Not that robotic freak!" the teen hissed, standing up suddenly from the table. "Why do you always have to insist that that was how I wanted to be?! Huh?! Did you ever think that I'm an orphan too?! Because I am! And I just wanted to try and remember what it was like when someone actually gave a damn about what became of me and try to forget what it's like to have someone breathing down your neck and twisting your thoughts even as they're forming in my mind! I hate this fucking place!" he screamed, throwing his napkin down on the table and stalking up the stairs to his room. He glared at Riku as he passed, and in a brief flicker of time, he transformed to the Keybearer's eyes – older, crueler, harsher – as Sephiroth. But in a second longer, he was gone and had slammed the door behind him.

"So it wasn't just a dream." Riku whispered, staring after him.

"Ainsi, allait-elle comment la nuit passée?"

"Huh?" The silver tressed teen looked up at Yuffie, whom was staring inquiringly at Vincent.

"Joli alésage si vous me demandez." The red clothed man answered. Yuffie scoffed loudly before she playfully hit Vincent on the arm, the man grinning.

"Voyez si vous obtenez ce soir!" She growled irately; just as she did, Yazoo sat down next to Loz, his face pale.

"Oh? Je volonté. Comme toujours." Vincent retorted lightly. Yazoo gagged and Riku looked towards him, blinking his iced azure eyes in confusion.

"Um, Cloud…" Riku said softly, turning to the spiky-tressed man as Cloud's eyes snapped to Riku.

"Yes?" He replied.

"Why are they speaking in French?" Quipped the silver-tressed teen as the Vincent and Yuffie continued to converse rapidly.

"Yeah…" Said the blonde slowly; "They've been going that for awhile now…"

"C'est terrible…" Yazoo whispered darkly, and both Yuffie and Vincent look towards him, their eyes wide.

"You… YOU SPEAK FRENCH?!" Cried the ninja incredulously.

"Oui…" The silver-tressed man's eye gave an involuntary twitch, "Et peux je dis, ma'am, que vous ne devriez pas employer cette sorte de lit-parlez devant de petits enfants."

Yuffie squeaked and buried her face in her hands, Vincent's expression was unreadable, however he did seem considerably paler than usual.

"Wait a minute!" Tifa suddenly stood from her chair, slamming her hands down onto the table, "You speak French?! We've been trying to figure out what they've been saying for _weeks_! Can you-?"

"No." Yazoo grumbled, his cheeks taking on a pinkish hue as he stared at Marlene.

"Come on, you-!"

"No."

As Tifa and Yazoo continued to argue loudly, Riku looked to Vincent, whom was patting Yuffie on the shoulder, soothing her in what Riku was relieved to hear was Japanese.

"-okay, it looks like Yazoo's not about to-" The raven-tressed man was saying to the ninja as she whimpered, her arms wrapped around her knees from where she was seated.

"Um, hey. I don't think we've met before." Riku said softly as Vincent turned his garnet orbs onto the teen. Riku cleared his throat lightly and extended his hand to the man, "My name's Riku."

"Vincent." Said the red-clothed man in his dark voice, "Vincent Valentine."

"Bond." Yuffie said suddenly, "James Bond." Vincent rolled his eyes as the ninja set down her legs and leaned forewords towards Riku.

"Hey there, kiddo." The girl with the dark tresses reached out and ruffled Riku's silver tresses.

'_They. All. Lied. To. You._'

Riku pulled back uncomfortably and fixed his hair as Yuffie frowned slightly, her frown progressing into a sheepish grin, "Sorry, I didn't know that you didn't like your hair played with. Its just really hard 'cause Vince has really long hair and won't ever let me touch it-"

"Not on you life." Vincent grumbled, fingering his obsidian tresses lightly.

"-and you have kinda long hair, too, and-" The ninja went on before Riku stood up and looked away, "Hey, where 'ya goin?"

"I'm not feeling to good." The teen partially lied, "I'm going back to bed."

"-feel compelled to tell us-! Oh? Really?" Tifa stopped in mid-argument with Yazoo and looked to Riku with concerned chocolate brown orbs, "Well, if you need something, fell free to use the medicine cabinet in the guest bathroom."

"Thanks, but I think I'm just gonna lay down." Riku shrugged and started back up the stairs.

"…okay. Try to feel better. " Tifa called after him softly.

"Sleep tight!" Yuffie chirped.

As soon as the silver-tressed teen was halfway up the stairs, all conversation seemed to resume at the table. Riku sighed in an almost dejected way and ran a hand through his platinum hair, falling against a wall and punching it lightly, his brow knitted in frustration.

"You see know, don't you?"

Riku jumped and stared with wide eyes at Kadaj as the elder teen bored holes into his flesh with blue-green orbs.

"Who… who are you?" Riku whispered darkly, taking a step backwards, but only coming into contact with the wall behind him, at the same time wondering how Kadaj had gotten from his room to the upstairs hallway un-noticed.

"Isn't it obvious?" Kadaj smirked softly; Riku's eyes widened, as Kadaj's presence seemed to flicker before his eyes- taking on the form of Sephiroth, "You can thank me for putting you to bed, later, little one. And at the same time- I think I'm growing tired of my old vessel. Come outside, I've something to show you." Sephiroth seemed to flicker away, becoming Kadaj once more as the elder teen blinked several times in a dizzy way before swaying in place and falling over in a way that would've been comical if Riku wasn't shaking.

The younger teen stared with wide eyes at Kadaj's lifeless form before his fists tightened and he promptly turned on his heel.

* * *

"Sora…" Kairi said flatly, her violet orbs the size of saucers, as she stood, dumbstruck, before the large ship. It was a sleek, ebony model with red highlights with a long ladder propped up against its side that lead up to the roomy cockpit, "Where did you…?" 

"Pulled a few strings with Disney Kingdom's Gummi Ship system… it seems that saving multiple worlds multiple times from deadly heartless gives you a few privileges now and then- you coming?" Sora explained and he grabbed onto the ladder propped up against the Gummi Ship.

"Sora… don't you think we should tell our parents?" The girl inquired, however, she grabbed onto the ladder as soon as the boy with the spiky tresses was halfway up.

"Do you honestly think they'd ever let us go?" Sora replied in a question with a roll of his unreal blue eyes as he hoisted himself up into the vehicle.

"Good point." Nodded the redhead as she extended a hand to her boyfriend. Sora pulled her into the stark-white cockpit and promptly pushed the ladder to the ground. Kairi made herself comfortable in the large chair on the right-hand side of the captain's seat as Sora stood at the top of the ship and hit a few buttons in order to seal the doors.

"I'm used to launching this thing out of one of the hangers, but I've done a few land take-offs before." He said out loud as Kairi tightened her grip on her chair.

"S-Sora." Squeaked the girl as her eyes became dangerously bulbous in horror, "You do know what you're doing, right?"

"'Course I do!" Beamed the brunette as he plopped down in the captain's seat and pulled on his seatbelt, clicking some of the controls on the arm rests as the vehicle jolted to life. Kairi promptly screamed and her grip on the chair turned into a metal-death-grip before Sora hit another button and the gummi ship began to vibrate, shooting into the sky and leaving parallel un-natural waves sliding through the azure sea; all the while, Kairi screamed and nearly tore off the arms of her chair.

"I'm gonna die! _I'm gonna die_! I'M GONNA DIE!" Screamed the redhead as she rocked back and forth.

"Kairi! Chill!" Sora commanded calmly, "Its not like this thing is just gonna fall out of the sky and blow up-" Kairi whimpered, "I mean- the Gummi Ship is long and hard! It isn't going to crash anytime soon with these aerodynamics!"

Suddenly, the girl's attitude seemed to change as she burst into a fit of nervous giggles, "What? What is it?" Sora inquired with a small grin.

"I'm… sorry…" Kairi giggled, her face turning pink, "Its just… you reminded me of a part from this movie I saw; there's this part where there's this spaceship in the sky shaped like a-"

* * *

"Dick!" Loz spat angrily at a customer, whom stormed out of the bar in rage, "Calling me all those mean names! HMPH!" 

"I hate to break it to you, brother, but when you spill the customer's drink on his three consecutive times, he really does have the right to call you a 'Brainless Retarded Fish Fucker'… however vulgar that is." Yazoo sighed as he promptly used a rag to clean up the remainder of the mess.

"I think its clear that we can't have you busting tables anymore, Loz." Tifa sighed as she leaned on the bar, massaging her temples, "And watch the language. I don't want to hear you saying that sort of thing in front of Marlene or anything."

Loz's blue-green eyes became large and frightened, "No, never!" He squeaked truthfully as said girl poked her head into the bar from the kitchen.

"Tifa! Denzel's slopping dish water at me!" The girl whined.

"Am _not_!" The boy's voice echoed from the kitchen.

"Cloud!" Tifa sighed, exasperated.

"Stop fighting." Cloud quietly intervened from where he sat at the table, scanning the newspaper.

"As if that's going to do any good!" The woman snapped.

"I'm sorry." Shrugged the blonde half-heartedly as the obsidian-tressed woman growled irately and stepped aside to let Vincent and Yuffie pass.

"Thanks for having us for breakfast, Tifa!" The ninja squealed, pulling Tifa into a bone-crushing hug.

"Anytime…" Choked the taller woman, feebly smiling at the younger woman. Yuffie broke the hug and beamed at Tifa before latching onto Vincent's arm and pulling him towards the front door. Before they left, however, Yuffie glanced over her shoulder at Tifa.

"Oh, and tell Riku to get better for me! T'ta!" She beamed, and proceeded to drag Vincent along.

"Speaking of silver-haired teens…" Tifa muttered as she headed towards the spare room that Kadaj had seemed to claim. The woman threw open the door and promptly stormed in, "Kadaj! Get your brooding ass out here! It-" The woman's auburn orbs widened as she spotted the young man passed out on the floor below an open window, "Kadaj!" She gasped and ran to his side, even though they were still enemies, he was under her care and Tifa couldn't help but show at least a shred of concern for the teen. She grabbed Kadaj by the shoulder and flipped him over, attempting to shake him into waking, "Kadaj! Kadaj, wake up!" Tifa cried again and again; when this seemed to fail, she huffed irritably and reared back her hand, slapping the teen on the cheek.

"OW!" The silver-tressed youth bolted upright, rubbing the offended cheek softly, "What the fuck was that for?!"

Tifa ignored his rude demand and stared him straight in the eyes, "Kadaj, what happened?" She inquired seriously. The teen's blue-green orbs suddenly widened as he registered the past events.

"Him…" Whispered Kadaj, his eyes widening even further.

* * *

Riku stared, wide-eyed at Sephiroth. The tall man stood placidly in front of the bar as if it was what he had done every day of his entire life. He gave the young man an unreadable look and then turned his head to the sky, his blue-green orbs unblinking. Riku followed the taller man's gaze, and his own eyes of ice blue widened. 

"A Gummi Ship…?" The teen whispered as the ebony vehicle began to lower to the ground; most likely somewhere quite near where Cloud's Buster Sword was planted in the dust.

"I'm sure you know those riding upon it." Sephiroth smirked softly.

'_Those whom see you as the lie and helped you to grow into it._'

Riku's pupils snapped into cat-like slits momentarily as they widened in realization.

"Its your first step to eliminating the lie and becoming who you truly are." Explained Sephiroth lightly as he smirked at Riku, his half-lidded eyes glowing with some sort of amusement.

"But…" Riku whispered as his dark pupils dilated back to normal, icy azure orbs coruscated with nervousness.

"They are as much to blame as the rest of them." Said the man softly. And like that, he was gone. Nothing was left of him, save for an obsidian feather that floated to the ground.

Riku stood, staring him mixed emotions at the single feather lying placidly on the ashen concrete before he picked up sounds of movement and his head snapped up.

"Come on!" Kadaj cried, dragging Tifa along with him at the wrist. Naturally, Cloud had followed at the sight of the felon pulling along his girlfriend.

"Kadaj! What they hell are you playing at?" Cloud yelled loudly, snatching the first Tsurugi, along with its leather sheath, off of the wall before the silver-tressed youth threw open the door. Where Riku had stood seconds later, unbeknownst to the trio, there was only the single obsidian feather. Cloud's dewy blue orbs widened at the sight of the single appendage and the name he silently mouthed was unmistakable, '_Sephiroth_.'

"_Shit_!" Kadaj swore vehemently, tossing his head violently, "Where the hell did they-?" His blue-green orbs widened as he spotted the landing ship, and something deep within his mind seemed to click, "Come on! We have to hurry!"

He suddenly took off, dropping Tifa's wrist and tearing down the streets, headed towards the wastelands in the outskirts of Edge.

"Let's go." Cloud said to Tifa calmly, but the ebony-tressed woman could hear a bit of uneasiness cracking at the back of his throat.

"Mmm." The woman nodded, her chocolate brown orbs narrowed in determination as they sprinted along after Kadaj.

* * *

Sora leapt from the dark vehicle and landed on the ground in a feline crouch, turning around and peering up at Kairi with his unreal blue orbs, his arms outstretched. 

"D-" He began, but Kairi, reckless as always when it came to jumping, had already taken a flying leap into Sora's arms. The brunette had to spin her around in a circle to keep the momentum and prevent both of them from falling, setting her down placidly beside him and lovingly brushing a lock of red hair behind one of her ears, "Don't do that anymore, it scares me."

Kairi smiled sheepishly and began to apologize, but her violet orbs suddenly because as wide as saucers. "RIKU!" Screamed the beryl-tressed girl and began to sprint into the dusty wastelands. Sora's eyes widened as well and he followed her gaze to the silver-tressed teen that stood a dozen yards away from them, slightly pigeon-toed and staring at the ground in-between his feet so that a sheet of platinum hair fell over his eyes.

"Riku!" Kairi cried in joy, running as fast as her feet could carry her towards her childhood friend. Tears gathered at the edges of her violet orbs as she threw her arms around the young man, placing her chin on his shoulder. "Oh, Riku! Where have you been? We've all been so worried! Oh… Riku…" Whispered the girl, letting the warm tears flow quickly from her cheeks, "Please don't do that again, your mo-"

The girl was cut short as, in a split second, she felt cold metal pressed against her neck. She barely had time to realize that The Way To The Dawn's ivory blade was curled around her neck before it punctured delicate skin, and in one fluid motion, Riku pulled it back to his side, slitting the girl's neck, and sending her entire body twisting towards Sora. Crimson beads flew from Kairi's throat as she stared with wide, violet eyes at the horizon, her mouth formed into a feint grimace.

"KAIRI!" Sora yelled at the top of his lungs, wasting no time to summon the Ultima Weapon Keyblade in a streak of blue and sprinting to the girl's side as she landed on the ground. "Curaga!" Sora commanded, raising the Keyblade made of crosshatched light blue metal over his head as a trio of pink flowers rained luminous petals down onto Kairi, knitting the wound into a tender, pink scar. His eyes then whipped to Riku, whom stared down at Kairi with orbs that were kaleidoscopes of blue and green with thin cat-like slits of ebony for pupils and a blank expression, "RIKU! What the hell are you-?!"

But Sora was cut short as well as Riku came down on him with the scarlet blade tipped with indigo. Sora's blue eyes doubled in size as he raised his Keyblade above his head and pushed off Riku's blade in a horrifically familiar way. The brunette stood, feeling lightheaded and weak as he stared at Riku with his wide, unreal blue eyes, "Riku… no…"

Riku glared his new feline-like eyes at Sora from behind a thin sheet of silver tresses, before charging him with inhuman speed. Sora quickly leapt into the air to evade the attack, but Riku was quick to think; rebounding off of, and completely unearthing, a dying tree, he slashed the ivory tip of the crimson and indigo blade across Sora's chest whilst they were both still in mid-air. After planting the attack, Riku landed on the ground and sprung up backwards, slashing Sora once more, and then repeated the process a final time before the brunette Keyblade wielder hit the ground, all three of these quick attacks being performed in under a second.

"Riku… why…?" Sora whispered in a cliché way as he grasped at his bleeding chest, staring at Riku with tearful blue orbs.

"I… _hate_… you." Growled the lustrously tressed boy in a way that leaked sheer anger and malice. Riku then raised The Way To The Dawn above his head for a final blow, the bits of crimson blood on the ivory blade glinting cruelly in the dim sunlight.

"RIKU! NO!"

The young man casually glanced to his side, his face, once again, expressionless, as he sidestepped an attack that Kairi had attempted to deal to him with her rogue and azure Keyblade. The redhead spun around in front of Riku, protecting Sora as the brunette healed himself, the floral blade clutched in both of her hands as she stood in a defensive stance. Riku cocked his head to one side and then chuckled in an icy way.

"Trying to play Sailor Moon, little girl?" He quipped softly as Kairi's violet orbs narrowed and she tightened her grip on her blade.

"You leave Sora alone…" She growled coldly; Riku laughed once more and smirked coolly.

"That's exactly what you said before you plummeted to the ground and got attacked by heartless… and I was the one who saved you… that was the time I gave you _that_ to defend yourself." He casually jerked his head at the floral Keyblade in Kairi's hands, "Well, little girl. I'm going to tell you that there's not going to be someone to save you this time!"

With a loud cry, Riku swung the Keyblade down on Kairi, only to hear it collide with metal a second later. The ivory wing slashed down the thick sheet of silver, creating a trail of aureate sparks before Riku pulled away, his cat-like eyes wide as he stared at Cloud, whom had intercepted the attack with the First Tsurugi. The blonde man's dewy blue eyes were wide and unforgiving, his face of stone nearly expressionless, save for the small frown upon his face before he used his free arm to push Kairi back into Sora's arms. The recently self-healed brunette grabbed the girl and pushed her to the ground, shielding her with his body as Cloud seized the First Tsurugi with both hands and sliced it down towards Riku with a feral cry. The teen scoffed and smirked, dodge rolling out of the massive sword's way and behind Cloud, swiftly attempting to knock the towhead off of his feet with a sweeping kick. In the time Cloud used to regain his balance, Riku was upon him, unleashing a combination of swift slices upon Cloud; half of which Cloud blocked, using the First Tsurugi as a shield.

"YOU KNEW, DIDN'T YOU? **_DIDN'T YOU_**?!" Screamed the teen as he continued to slash away at the massive sword. Cloud's eyes widened suddenly; not because he was confused at what Riku was saying; but because he was shocked to realize that he knew exactly was talking about. Riku knew that Cloud knew… what Cloud had known from the beginning was that Riku had Jenova within him. He sensed it from the beginning, yet he had hidden it from the silver-tressed teen without a second thought. The teen's eyes flashed onyx and with a snarl he threw his weight into the final strike, aiming just higher than the previous strikes. Cloud inhaled sharply, barely avoiding the weapon from slicing off a good inch of his hair. Riku ceased his attack on the towhead's sword and leapt high into the air, landing in a crouch behind Cloud and springing up quickly to swing the Keyblade violently acrossed his unprotected back. The elder man winced as it tore a clean diagonal line across the skin, scarlet tears beading up around it.

He twisted around and instinctually brought the First Tsurugi before him protectively, deflecting the next strike. In a few short moments, the blonde had unanchored a single blade from the First Tsurugi, one of two short blades with retractable handles that fit snuggly along the outsides of the complete blade. Discarding the first, he flipped the flat sword with a twist of his wrist and drew it's mirror image, holding onto the hilt and flicking the switchblade out in a fluid motion. Using it as an off-hand weapon, he backed Riku up in a flurry of gold and blue light and ringing metal. The teen's eyes narrowed further, head bent under the pressure of succeeding attacks, tensing his muscles as he was staved off.

Unpredictably, he smiled sadistically, eyes glinting, inches away from the blonde's. He had remembered a vital piece of information. Pushing Cloud away, he sped around behind the man but decided not to attack. Instead, he waited for the blonde to whip around before darting off a few yards in the opposite direction. Cloud growled in irritation – the boy was a good listener after all. Damn Yuffie for giving him an advantage. Riku stood calmly with The Way to the Dawn pointed towards the ground in a bored sort of posture. All Cloud had to do was fall into the trap. And he did, willingly, knowing others would be hurt if he didn't. Slinging the switchblade into his sheathe, he disconnected one of the back blades and held it as Riku himself held his Keyblade in a fighting stance, barring the space before him with what remained of the First Tsurugi. He charged as was expected. The silver tressed teen grinned wickedly, raising his left hand slowly. Clenching his fingers into a fist, black vapors twisted along the length of his arm, shaking his frame from the effort. When Cloud had come within a yard of him, his fingers flew open, sending forth a burst of flaming bright blue light. The blast knocked the other man off his feet, sending him rolling roughly over the uneven earth.

The teen's body trembled with a surge of pain, sweat dripping down his brow. The blonde coughed and got to his feet unsteadily, discarding more pieces of his sword until all he had left was the Main Core and Hollow Blade. Separating the two pieces, he held them as he had before. Shaking his head regretfully, sorrow clouding his expression, he charged the Main Core with similar blue flames. Riku's eyes squinted in confusion, uncertain of what the attack would do, unable to move, still in a slight paralysis from the power of his own attack. There was a flash of light as the blonde performed Blade Beam, sending the light rushing forward and impacting heavily with Riku's chest. He staggered over, but when the light cleared, he was gone. Cloud panted heavily, looking around wide-eyed. The attack shouldn't have been powerful enough to obliterate the teen completely… had it? And icy tremble crept down his back as the atmosphere darkened. Riku emerged from an oval portal laughing cruelly, still in a weakened state. They rushed towards each other and crossed blades. Cloud attempted to block the young man, but Riku soon grew tired of the towhead's defenses and growled irately.

"Its time I end this – NOW!" Screamed the silver-tressed teen, and took off sprinting, leaping upwards and turning one hundred and eighty degrees in mid-air. Skidding to a stop and sending plumes of dust into the air, he turned and sprung towards Cloud, dealing several swift, yet deadly slashes just as he had done to Sora, cutting up, horizontally, down, and back up which ironically seemed to be the Keyblade wielder's version of Cloud's Omnislash. With a heave of effort, he wrenched the Keyblade diagonally across Cloud's body, extending from the hip to the shoulder blade, a froth of blood flying freely like crimson rain. The blonde feel limply to the ground, a small cloud of dust rising around him as he shuddered and gave in to the screams of his aching muscles. Riku approached his prey, sick triumph gleaming in his feral eyes. He walked with a silent grace, straddling his victim and brushing the stray blonde hairs out of Cloud's face with the tip of The Way to the Dawn, slicing into the delicate skin on his face. He stood over Cloud, watching in fascination as the rivulet of blood trickled down the dusty face, his eyes trembling in a watery way with hurt and betrayal. A halo of dim sunlight glimmered around him as he pointed the weapon at Cloud, whom chuckled remorsefully.

"You could've done so much, better, kid." The towhead sighed, "I'm sorry I let you down."

"'Sorry' isn't good enough, this time." Riku whispered coldly, "'Sorry' can never erase the scars left on a soul… the scars I left on their souls… the scars they left on mine. 'Sorry' is never good enough. I give up. I carry too many scars that can never be erased. Too many blemishes that hold me to the dark."

And with that, The Way To The Dawn came swinging down upon Cloud for one final time.


	8. Requiem

**Jenova's Children **

**By Kawaii and Junsui**

**Author's Note:** WE LIVE! Erm... sorry about that. Illness has kept us seperated for many suns and moons. Other than that, we really don't have an excuse. I BLAME MY OLDER SISTER! ... However, she lives several hundred miles away... Uh, I'm sure you just want to keep reading and see if Cloudie lives or dies, ne? Heheh...

**Chapter 8**

**Requiem**

"'Sorry' isn't good enough, this time." Riku whispered coldly, "'Sorry' can never erase the scars left on a soul… the scars I left on their souls… the scars they left on mine. 'Sorry' is never good enough. I give up. I carry too many scars that can never be erased. Too many blemishes that hold me to the dark."

And with that, The Way To The Dawn came swinging down upon Cloud for one final time. Cloud calmly closed his eyes and prepared to be impaled by the thick sword. Having been done to by Sephiroth several times, he was not unfamiliar with the pain. But all and all, pain is pain, and blood is blood. But there was no pain, no blood; as a noise of metal scraping against metal caused Cloud's eyes to shoot open.

Kadaj held the Shouba with both of his hands; his arms shaking as to hold the force Riku was attempting to push onto the Keyblade. The Way To The Dawn had slid in-between the two sheets of lustrous metal and the ivory curved wing was hovering just inches from Cloud's nose.

"Oh no you don't…" Kadaj grunted, his eyes narrowed in concentration as he locked identical sets of eyes with Riku. The younger teen growled and pulled the Keyblade black swiftly, turning his focus of anger onto Kadaj for blocking his attack. He brought the blade up above his head and swung down on Kadaj, whom, using both hands- one pressed against Shouba's blade, the other holding the grip- steadied the double-katana and slid it upwards and he leapt over Riku into a tuck-jump. The teen whirled around and attempted to slice at Kadaj in mid-air, yet Kadaj was too quick and easily dodged the attack. Riku growled and felt the muscles in his legs twitch, readying himself for the slashing attack that was a perfect example of his deadly swiftness. Just as he did, Kadaj realized that there was no way he was going to beat Riku. The kid was insanely angry at the world for whatever reason and there was no reasoning, no stopping him… he was just like Kadaj.

The elder teen with the silver tresses stared deep into Riku's blue-green orbs with cat-like slits -exact replicas of his own- beyond the anger, hurt, and betrayal lay something that spoke much of his true reasons for attacking.

Fear.

Riku was afraid of himself. He was afraid of turning evil. He was afraid of killing all his loved ones. He knew it was going to happen, so he had just sped up the process… all because he was so afraid…

The wind blew Kadaj's silver tresses around his blue-green eyes at he started at the younger teen, blinking several times with a weak grimace. And for a split second, maybe even for a moment, he felt empathy for Riku. Kadaj's cat-like eyes seemed to take on a different hue, gentle jade streaked with copper color, his pupils dilated and the entirety of his eyes seemed to coruscate with sadness. For the first time in what seemed like forever, Kadaj felt… human.

The silver-tressed young man placed a hand over his chest where his heart was. He could feel it beating steadily, even from under the thick layer of clothing he was wearing. It was as if it were the first time he realized that he had a heart…

But this realization was cut short as Riku charged Kadaj and his eyes snapped up, returning to their normal shade and cat-like pupils. The young man stared at the frightened teen charging him and let the Shouba clatter to the dusty ground, running towards Riku with all his might. And the next words that came from his mouth seemed to be uncontrollable:

"OTOTOU! STOP!" The next thing Kadaj knew, he was standing dead-still with his arms thrown around Riku, his pale face buried into Riku's shoulder as tears streamed from his eyes. He'd just called Riku 'Little Brother'. He barely knew him. In fact, they had hardly even had a conversation since they met. But… something about it just seemed right.

"Please… stop…" Kadaj whispered softly, closing his eyes as they tears continued to roll down his cheeks.

All the while, Riku stood, dumbstruck, The Way To The Dawn still hovering above his head. With a choking noise, Riku let go of the blade and it began to drop to the ground, disappearing in a streak of white light. "O… Otouto?" Riku repeated softly, his voice wavering, "N… Nii-san?" Elder Brother.

"Hai." Kadaj nodded, "Nii-san."

"Oh… God…" Riku began to shake, his eyes growing large in horror, "Oh… GOD! WHAT HAVE I DONE?!" Coruscating tears spilled from Riku's blue and green orbs as he dropped to his knees, Kadaj fell along with him, still holding his younger brother close.

"Otouto, otouto." The elder teen ushered softly, burrowing his nose into Riku's hair. "Otouto. It's alright now. Everything will be okay now."

"No." Riku whimpered. "I-I've… I almost!" he protested, trying to squirm away.

"It's okay. It's all over now!" Kadaj insisted, tugging his little brother back down into their embrace.

"But I –"Riku began, guilt and horror crushing down on his in a wave.

"Shhh." There was a pause, and then a dark mutter, "I know how it feels."

"R-Riku?" a panting voice inquired, edged with worry and slight unease. The teen squirmed until he could see Cloud hovering a short distance off, biting his lip uncertainly. Behind him stood Sora, Kairi standing beside him in his arms, pressing fingertips to the area where her cut had been. He suddenly became aware of Kadaj wiping away the heavy tears rolling down his cheeks. This time he was allowed to stand.

"C-Clo-" He chocked out, then looked to his feet. "When do you wish me to leave?" he whispered remorsefully.

"What?!" the blonde blinked. "Riku… it was him, wasn't it? Sephiroth. He influenced you to do these things, am I right?"

"Just tell me when you want me to go." The teen gulped, casting his gaze aside. How did Cloud know? Was it really that obvious? Was he really that weak and gullible? To be molded and twisted into a ghost of his former self. He had fallen back into shadow. Cloud was saying something now, and Kairi scooted in closer to Sora, worry swimming in her watery orbs. Kadaj was probably saying something too, but all had turned to white noise. "I'm sorry." He whispered, stepping back into a newly formed portal, eclipsed in his misery.

* * *

"Otouto!" Kadaj cried in shock, scrambling to his feet as his little brother disappeared from sight.

"RIKU!" the blonde man stopped beside him, equally confused.

"It's the Halls of Darkness." A voice quipped. Sora sighed heavily and lightly pushed his girlfriend away. "They can be accessed through those portals and can go anywhere. In fact –"he paused, stroking back a stray lock of brunette hair. "They connect to any world, locked or unlocked, most often those that can only be reached by Gummi." He grimaced. "So, how are you Cloud?"

"Never been better." The towhead replied.

"Ya." The Keybearer sighed.

"Hey." Kairi said softly, looking from the features of her boyfriend to Cloud. "What are we gonna do now?"

"Riku… he could be anywhere by now. We were lucky enough just to run into him here."

"You didn't know?" Cloud frowned.

"Huh?"

"Edge is quite a ways from Radiant Garden, or Hollow Bastion as most people once thought. How did you know to come here of all places?"

"Leon." Kairi spoke up. "We were asking around for Riku, and Leon said he helped out a kid with silver hair and green-blue eyes. We figured it had to be him, but when Leon went on to say that there was blood on his arms, we knew for sure." The redhead explained.

"Blood?"

"Riku –"Sora broke off, exchanging a glance with Kairi. "He can get into really deep depression slumps, especially after having submitting to darkness before, and well… he cuts himself. Not all the time, I mean, but…"

"It really has us worried." The girl beside him finished.

"I know. I've already talked to him about that. We are at an understanding, you see… I did the same thing once." Cloud reassured them. "But after all of this, I think it's best if you don't talk to him straight away. Not that we know where he's at now, but…"

"He's at the house." Kadaj offered at random.

"What makes you say that?" the blonde frowned.

"Where else would he go?" the silver haired teen scoffed, looking up at the weighted clouds, sagging under the pressure of the moment. "Back to the islands where he ran from? Back to that garden? Or to the castle where he was kept prisoner? Where else do you think he'd go? It's not like he's ever been out anywhere else." He looked over his shoulder, cat slitted iris' dilating in an unusual manner.

The other three stared at him agape. "It's like you know him." Sora finally said, cracking an uneasy grin.

"I _do_ know him." Kadaj snorted. "I should. I mean after all, he _is_ my brother."

"So, you really did mean it then?" Cloud asked. "You call me your brother, just like Loz and Yazoo. Do you mean to say –?"

"No." was his curt reply. "Yazoo and Loz were my best friends growing up, and are brothers only in mind and through the Jenova cells we all share. By the fact that pieces of Sephiroth live within us. You are my brother in that way as well. I… I haven't seen Riku since he was four or five." Kadaj trailed off, expression unreadable. "I'll go talk to him. Even with the circumstances, I know him better than any of you. Especially because of this." In a flash, he had run off in the direction of Seventh Heaven.

"He sure has matured a lot." A feminine voice whispered. The others started, enraptured in their own thoughts.

"Tifa, are you okay?" Cloud asked, striding over to his girlfriend worriedly.

"I'm fine. I stepped back and watched mostly, don't worry." She assured him, planting a quick kiss on his cheek. "It seems like Riku learned a lot from you." She offered optimistically.

"I really only spent two days or so with him as far as training goes. He's clever and very observant; a quick learner." The blonde agreed.

"So, uh, Cloud?" Sora piped up.

"Hmn?"

"What do we do know? Kairi and I… where should we go? I suppose you're right, we should give him some space."

"I want to see Riku." The redhead said stubbornly.

"But Kai –"

"You two are welcome to stay at the bar." Tifa said warmly.

"The bar?" Sora perked up, earning him a whack on the arm.

"Seventh Heaven, the bar I own. We live in the spaces above it. You see, it's kinda like a hotel too, I offer lodgings because there's extra rooms and they provide extra revenue. Currently though, we're a bit overbooked with friends alone." Tifa giggled.

"Right. Tifa, and the kids –" Cloud began, Sora raising his eyebrows suggestively. "–That we adopted; Marlene and Denzel, have been living in the actual house. Vincent and Yuffie had been staying in a spare room, but they've moved out now for, erm, certain reasons of their own. Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo are living downstairs in the bar. Riku had a guest room, so that leaves just enough space for the two of you."

"So… I guess there really isn't much we can do right now, huh?" Kairi asked, rubbing her arm self-consciously. She had never felt so useless in her life.

"I suppose so. We just have to trust that Kadaj knows what he's doing." Tifa shrugged, giving her a sympathetic smile. They began to walk towards the city's edge when suddenly Cloud stopped in his tracks.

"So after Kadaj fucks up that idea, then what do we do?"

* * *

Riku sat in the corner of the bleak room, hugging his knees to his chest. He had come back to the bar. After entering the Corridors of Darkness, he had found that he had nowhere else better to go. It would take the others some time before they found him, hours if he was lucky. And by then he'd be gone. It didn't really matter where; he just had to gather himself first. He had done it again. He had submerged himself in the dark corner of his heart, fallen victim to another puppeteer. And he was sick of it. He stared blankly down at his arms, tracing each and every shining pink scar. Oh how he lingered for that pain. Because if he could feel it, then he would be real. The emptiness inside was eating him away.

_"It isn't easy to fight the darkness."_ There was soft tentative knock upon the doorframe. Riku's head snapped up, anger and fear spread across his face. Kadaj stood just beyond the room, an arm propping him up, the other dangling loosely. His eyes flitted up to meet his younger brother's then sprung away. Wordlessly, he entered the room and sat beside Riku on the broken down couch, ignoring the whimpered protests. The two sat in silence for a while, not so much as looking at the other.

"Why are you here?" Riku asked finally.

"I'm not gonna loose you again, otouto." Kadaj answered, still staring fixedly at the floorboards.

"A-again? What are you talking about?" the other demanded.

"What do you remember of your childhood?" Cattish eyes slid over in the younger teen's direction.

"Not much. Why?" Riku frowned.

"Do… do you remember me at all? Or mother? Or father?" Kadaj gulped.

"I'm sorry." Riku hung his head sheepishly. "All I've ever wanted to know was why I was so different. I had never once thought that she wasn't really my mother.'

"Who?" Kadaj asked, suddenly weary of another whom bore the title.

"The nurse that watched over me."

"Nurse?!" The shocked teen replied, blinking slowly. "What do you mean, you were in the hospital? When?!"

"I was five, maybe four. I'm not really sure anymore. Some guy found me on the streets I suppose and took me to the hospital. But… they were afraid of me."

_One time all of the glass in the room simultaneously burst as if they had all been struck by a heavy blow. Another time, the cabinet doors flew open and all of the supplies fell to the ground. Other weird things happened throughout the whole hospital after he arrived. Two doctors and a few receptionists and nurses actually quit – they thought the place was haunted or something. Doors would open for no reason, things would go missing, all of the monitors on a certain level would be filled with static, one time a tray rolled down the hall into a closet when it had been standing still._

"How did this happen?" Kadaj asked aloud, cradling his head in his hands. Riku hesitated a moment, then scooted closer to him.

"What do you mean?"

"We're biological brothers, Riku; I'm two years older than you. Our mother took care of us and we had a happy family. Our father had enlisted to Shin-ra and soon became a SOLDIER. We idolized him, you and I. Some days, we'd follow him to work and watch him train with the other men and boys. We promised each other that one day, we'd be just like Dad, make him proud. We weren't the only kids around. Loz and Yazoo's dads were in SOLDIER too, and the four of us would have mock battles, kid fights and the like. They were older than us, Yazoo by three years, Loz by five. But we became fast friends nonetheless. The men would watch us whenever we did fight and laugh and give us small tips here and there.

"And then there was _him_. Sephiroth. Yes, he was alive back then. At that time, he was working his way up to the rank of General. And then there was that bastard Hojo, that scientist that always followed him around. He was his trusted ally you know? But of course, that's when Sephiroth was so greatly admired, a gentleman even. He would stop and take the time to say a word or two to us before carrying on, and Hojo would just make some disapproving noise and jot down some notes.

"One day, we were there together and I left you for a moment. I never found you since. It was almost as if you had just vanished off the face of the planet. Of course, we searched for you, and word spread around to all the men. But you never turned up. Mother was so saddened, and Dad was too busy with training to spend time looking for you. It hurt him greatly, and he promised that he'd take a reprieve after one of his recon missions. But, like you, he vanished. Mother still has his dog tags. And then we were truly alone. Shin-ra sent us money that Dad would have made to support us, and Mother made me promise that I would never leave her. Yazoo and Loz… for a while, I lost contact with them, but then came across them again. Loz's dad had retired after loosing a leg, and Yazoo's parents had split and he was living with his mother. We never found out if his father is alive or not.

"Years passed, and we gradually began to accept the fact that you were dead. And then only just four years ago, _he_ cracked. You see, we lived in Nebelheim, the very city that he raised to the ground. That was the first time the world saw the madness behind the man. Yazoo, Loz, and I had run outside to see what was happening. People were dying, screaming, running. Mass pandemonium, and everything was aflame. We ran through the city and came to a courtyard just in time to see a corpse slide off the end of his sword. We tried to fight him, but…" he sighed heavily. "We were defeated. And that night he never made the connection between us and the little children he would send a sly smile at when we tried to match our father's training. We had grown plenty by then, of course, but still, that interaction left a sort of mark on each of us. Like he had tested us, and approving, sent apart of himself into us. We died that night, all three of us. But not for very long.

"Whatever it was that had happened, we came back, as you see me now. Silver hair, cat-like eyes that show signs of mako energy. Increased speed, senses, strength. And we were no longer ourselves. I'm not sure how long had passed between the time of our death and resurrection for we floated timelessly throughout the Lifestream, not as souls, but encaged space. Empty and mindless. He had died, you see. But not without setting things up accordingly. The pieces of himself that lived on through us attracted the rest of his being when he died, separating it into three parts. This was when he had taken Jenova's head with him and became the Lifestream, harnessing powers far greater than anyone could have dared believe possible. We were sent down for some reason, knowing only pure animalistic instinct.

"The three of us were mere vessels for the parts of himself. Those who had Jenova cells within them… when Meteorfall happened, they sensed the pull of a greater source of the cells, and traveled to the impact sight. Sephiroth had been waiting. He slaughtered each and every one of them, collecting their cells until he was nearly Jenova himself. Jenova changed it's appearance to be more in his likeness after that, and then Cloud's friend, Zack killed him. But we were reborn with that pull, to reunite with those cells. Sephiroth was clever. He knew one of us doing such an act would be enough to bring him back. Because he IS Jenova, just as he is the Lifestream.

"I guess I was that lucky one then, huh? And soon Cloud delivered us from our waking hell. We died again, finally released from that forced life. And then there was silence, and the purest light washed over us all, filling us with warmth – a feeling long forgot. And we felt unworthy. Too young to be judged and too old to be innocent, we found ourselves in a field of ethereal flowers guarded by a woman from the past, the last Ancient, or Cetra, Aeris. Heh. It's funny really. Almost sad. Of all people, she blessed us with life once more. Out of everyone else, all the innocents that died out of sad situations, we were blessed. And what a blessing it was too! No longer confined, haunting daily, constantly, by his never-sleeping presence. Our own true selves, as we remember ourselves, before he interfered with the natural course of things. The only curse to it is our appearance. We still have this silver hair, and damned eyes that mark us for what we are. People don't just forget, no matter how much we may want them to. Sure, we rebelled, but who could blame us? We had had a taste of freedom, of reckless abandon, and we were damned sure that we'd be prosecuted no matter what we did. So we abused it. And now things… things just might be alright."

"Nii-san." Riku whispered, the word strange on his tongue. Without a moments hesitation, he threw his arms around the older teen, the puzzle forming pictures in his head. Shadowy memories flooded his senses, simple actions. Fighting with someone, not roughly, but in play. Standing amongst a tall crowd and feeling a general sense of awe. Clutching at someone's hand when a man in a lab coat came over to him. _A frequent beeping sound was the only thing that reminded him that he was living, for all his other senses were numb, over-used to the point of breaking. The cold of the metal table he was placed upon had worn away, being replaced but what little warmth his flesh produced. A door creaked open, sending a bit of light over pale blue eyes staring unseeingly into oblivion. Commencing Project R.I.K.U Jenova #1445 in e minus negative five seconds._

"I-I know what became of me." He announced shakily. "That man, Hojo? I remember him."

"You do?" Kadaj asked with interest.

"Ya. Him and another doctor… Lucrecia. I was lying on an operating table, completely wiped out. I'm not even sure how I was living; I was so… nonexistent. They came in, and then there were lights that turned on. Like computer screens, blue, and green too. I think there were cylinders of glowing stuff of the same color. That woman Lucrecia, she said something about how she pitied me, and Hojo reprimanded her for it, saying that pity would only get in their way. And he –" Riku stopped and trembled, anger coursing through him as another fragment aligned itself. "He said I wouldn't be missed because I had no family! He… he LIED! He kidnapped me and experimented on me!"

"What?!" Kadaj jumped, appalled. "What makes you say –?"

"Project R.I.K.U. Jenova #1445." The teen recited bitterly. "I thought they were only dreams, nightmares. I remember them injecting me with stuff, Jenova cells. That's why –"

"That's why we look alike!" Kadaj finished. "They shot you up with Jenova and Mako cells. Riku, we never looked like this. We had black hair. _Black_. I had hazel eyes, and you had blue. And Yazoo and Loz, they were a redhead and a brunette. The mako cells accounted for our eyes, all of SOLDIER had them, even Dad. But the Jenova cells is why we look like Sephiroth. I knew why I look the way I do, but I never thought that you… Jeez. I was so shocked that it was you."

Riku nodded deafly, his throat tightening in a sickening way. _Kadaj cocked his head, tresses swishing as he moved. "Hmn. You might as well tell me your name, seeing as I'm about to kill you."_

"_Riku." Was the growled response. Kadaj's cat-like eyes widened and his grip on Shouba loosened._

A small flash as another memory surfaced.

"_I was just wondering…" Kadaj stood up and stormed over to him, grabbing the younger teen by his collar and standing him up. He turned to face Cloud so that both he and Riku were facing the towhead, "Why he looks like one of us!"_

"I just couldn't believe that after all this time, that you never really died. I just had given up on it." He forced a laugh. "I'm sorry for doubting you."

"Don't be. I should never have survived through that." Riku sniffed.

"But you did. The question is… why? Why did you survive, or better yet, how? The mako alone should have been too strong for your body to handle at that age. Maybe it was from the Jenova cells. But even those should have killed you. But why would they have done that to you? What could they have gained?"

"I don't know." Riku shook his head regretfully. "I don't know." There was a lapse of time, and then Riku frowned. "There's still something strange though. The project was named 'R.I.K.U.' as if it was spelled out. Riku… that's not my real name, is it?"

"No, it's not." Kadaj shook his head. "Not really. The name that you were given by Dad and Mother was Yukio. Yukio Nonaka. But the guys in SOLDIER started calling you Riku because it meant land and you had always been especially skilled in fighting land-based battles. But now that I think about it… shit!"

"What? What is it?!" Riku asked, alarmed.

"Hojo."

"What?"

"Hojo had made mention of it to Sephiroth once, and from there on out, Sephiroth only called you by that name. Pretty much everyone at that base called you Riku, it kinda became your second name."

"If it was Hojo, then there must be a meaning behind it. I mean, ah." Riku sighed, slumping down in his seat. "I don't know, I just want to blame him for this. It IS his fault after all, and I swear to you if I see him, he'll have hell to pay, that's for sure. I just…"

"Heh, you and me both. I'll kill him if he so much as breathes on you. After everything that son of a bitch has done, it's less than he deserves, it really is." Kadaj shook his head fervently.

"Hey Nii-san?" Riku began, his throat running dry.

"Hmn?"

"Is it okay if I still be called Riku? It's all I've ever known, I just –."

"Ya, it's cool. It would be too hard to change now as it is. I don't mind."

"I like it."

"Like what?" Kadaj cocked his head to the side.

"Riku Nonaka." The teen replied, a small smile appearing across his lips. "Kinda has a nice ring to it, even if my name was made up by some creepy scientist that messed up my life." He laughed. A real laugh this time. Kadaj chuckled.

"That's very true!" They sat together, but this time smiling, because they had found each other. Because they were family. Brothers.

"Hey Nii-san?"

"Ya?"

"Thanks." Kadaj didn't even have a chance to respond before Riku had flung his arms around him, tears streaking down his cheeks. His eyes widened momentarily, before he smiled and wrapped his arms around his little brother. And he wasn't even aware of the crystal droplets coursing down his own features.


	9. Lithium

**Jenova's Children **

**By Kawaii and Junsui**

**Chapter 9**

**Lithium**

It wasn't until he was awake that Riku realized that he'd fallen asleep. He was lying with his head at a strange angle between a feather-filled pillow and the rest of the slightly worn couch in Kadaj's makeshift room, a plush blanket tucked around him tightly. Green and blue orbs slowly scanned the room, growing more frantic as he looked around and sat up suddenly, "Nii-san."

Throwing the covers over his legs, Riku climbed off of the couch with a chorus of straining coils beneath him. "Nii-san… Nii-san…" He muttered under his breath, constantly sucking in and expelling air faster and faster as he became more and more frantic, "Nii-san?! Nii-san?!" Riku opened the door to the room and walked towards the bar, where he could hear the sounds of clinking plates and light conversation. But none of that meant anything as his fast pace turned into a sprint, "NII-SAN!"

Riku collided with Kadaj suddenly as he found the young man walking out from the kitchen and into the bar. The elder teen stood awkwardly as Riku held onto him for dear life, his cat-like orbs misted with emotion. "Don't leave me, not again…"

Kadaj sighed and placed an awkward hand on Riku's head, "I had to leave, I didn't want to wake you up-"

"I don't care." Interrupted the silver-tressed teen as he trembled violently, holding back tears, "I never want to be alone. Never again."

Riku's elder brother sighed once more and pushed a lock of silver hair out of his brother's face. It was bizarre to see a seventeen-year-old young man acting almost like a child; but then again, it was to be expected after such traumatic experiences… and it wasn't as if Kadaj had never acted childish before.

"I promise. I won't leave you." Kadaj nodded as he ruffled Riku's hair, "C'mon. Tifa made waffles for breakfast… you have to hurry before Loz inhales the rest of them."

"Sure." Nodded the younger teen as he wiped his eyes with the side of his hand and composed himself and silently followed Kadaj into the kitchen.

It was as if he'd dived into a pool of silence.

Every pair of eyes in the room seemed to be directed at him, ranging from Vincent's unreadable garnet to Kairi's slightly timid violet. Riku was reminded suddenly of the time Kadaj had pointed out their similarities in appearance and shied away before reluctantly taking a seat next to Yazoo, whom was quietly spreading butter onto a waffle, his half-lidded orbs staring down at the food and lips slightly pursed. He glanced to Riku indifferently and the teen looked down at the table, tracing wood grain patterns with his eyes as to distract himself from what seemed to be a million eyes boring holes into him, shutting off all connection to the outside world as he threaded a hand through his bangs and rested his head on his palm, his blue-green orbs misted with concentration as he seemed to drift away from where he was.

_A comfortably warm hand grasped mine as we walked along. It was large, and it fit around mine easily. This seemed to give me some sort of comfort as I beamed up at her and she smiled fondly down at me, her hazel orbs coruscating gently through the sea of raven tresses that always seemed to be falling over them. I beamed up at her with a toothy grin, my teeth small and spaced awkwardly. _

_My brother started talking and both she and I looked towards him. He was talking animatedly, constantly pushed obsidian bangs out of his large hazel orbs. He looked so much like her that it made me smile. _

_"They call him Riku, now, Kaa-San!" He cried happily and she looked down at me with a large smile._

_"Is that right, Ri-"_

"-ku? Riku?" Riku jumped out of his trance, finally looking up at Tifa, whose auburn orbs were clouded with worry as she stared at him, a concerned expression on her face, "Riku, honey, would you like something to eat?"

Riku blinked slowly at the young woman, practically surprised that she was actually addressing him. He glanced around and found that everyone was still looking at him, as if they were waiting for him to state the meaning of life.

"Um, no thanks." Riku said quietly, glancing back down at the table. His reply was an angry, feminine huff. But it wasn't from Tifa. Riku glanced up with his new cat-like orbs and watched Yuffie angrily grab a waffle and ruthlessly formed a mountain of whipped cream on top of it. She stood up from her seat and promptly marched over to Riku, slamming the plate before him.

"Eat." The ninja growled. It wasn't a request. Riku cast a weary glance to Yuffie, whom folded her arms over her chest and glared daggers at him, her mouth folded into a scowl. The silver-tressed teen picked up a fork and quietly cut a square out of the waffle, taking a bite out of the waffle. Every person at the table seemed to watch his every move.

"JESUS CHRIST ON A STICK!"

Riku jumped and looked to Kadaj, whom had suddenly leapt up from his seat, his dark pupils angry slits, "He's not an animal on display! Get back to your food, peons!"

Someone muttered something along the lines of "Hypocrite". It was most likely Cloud, but Riku didn't bother to look up from his food for another several seconds. When he did, everyone seemed to be staring intently at their places as if they were the most interesting things in the world, focusing on eating other than staring at Riku. It was a minor relief, knowing that they were only doing this in as a way to avoid conflict with Riku or Kadaj… most likely Kadaj.

However, there was still one pair of eyes sending an optic death ray at Riku as he attempted to find his golden waffle under a pile of whipped cream. Yuffie huffed angrily and crossed her arms over he chest, narrowing her brown orbs as she bit the side of her lower lip and sunk into her chair.

"Dear Lord! Eat, man, EAT!" The ninja leapt up once more and grabbed Riku by the shoulders, shaking him violently as he stared at her with frightened eyes.

"Yuffie, leave him be." A voice like velvet said softly. Riku's eyes widened as a row of metallic claws was placed on Yuffie's shoulder. The girl glanced to Vincent quickly before looking back to Riku and sighing dejectedly.

"Okay." She nodded slowly and returned to poke at her food grumpily, shooting an unreadable glance to Riku every now and then.

* * *

After Tifa had Marlene and Denzel situated at the table with some things to color, Sora and Kairi long since departed for home after breakfast. The young woman gave a fond smile to her and Cloud's "children" and retired to the bar. The cool darkness away from the brightly lit kitchen was soothing to the ebony tressed woman as she wiped down the already-spotless bar with a rag. Expelling a long sigh, Tifa rested an elbow on the bar, threading her fingers though obsidian tresses and bitterly sucking in air through her teeth.

'_No. You can't cry._' Tifa told herself as she felt a dull throb at the base of her eyes, '_You have to be strong for yourself. For the kids. For Cloud._'

But it was too late; warm tears were already flowing down her cheeks from auburn orbs, splattering in tiny puddles on the bar. It was too much to hold in for any longer. She'd just stood back and watched the previous day; she'd stood there in numb shock while Cloud had almost died. If a teenage boy held that much power against him, did that mean that Cloud had grown weaker? Had Jenova grown stronger? If Jenova had grown stronger, did that mean that Sephiroth would return? What would happen to her family? To Edge? To Gaia?

Tifa jumped as she heard somebody enter the bar. Her garnet orbs wide, she hastily wiped away the tears on her cheeks with her palm.

"C-cloud…" She began, hoping her hadn't seen her tears, "I- I was just…"

"Why were you crying?" The towhead inquired as he walked behind the bar and stood close to her, his dewy azure orbs swimming with confusion.

"I… I…" Tifa stuttered, playing with a lock of her raven tresses. Cloud stepped foreword and placed his heavily gloved hands on her shoulders. Dewy blue locked with auburn as the blonde man stared Tifa straight in the eye.

"Please tell me." He said softly, reaching up to brush obsidian tresses from her eyes. Tifa broke his gaze and pulled away, turning away from him and sheepishly rubbing her upper arm where a silken scarlet band was tired in memory of Aeris.

"Cloud, I- I'm afraid. " She admitted softly, tears streaming down her cheeks once more, "When Riku attacked you, I didn't know what to do. I was just… horrified. It was like I saw Sephiroth returning… a second apocalypse. Everything happening a second time… me and my family… gone."

Cloud was silent as Tifa trembled slightly, attempting to stifle the sobs that issued from her mouth with clasped hands.

"I am, too."

Tifa's auburn eyes widened in shock as she spun to face Cloud, whom was smiling grimly, his blue orbs out of focus. "I realize now that I have so much to live for. Denzel, Marlene… they're my children as much as they are yours. They depend on me… they're my family and I can't die on them… I have so much to live for… and so much I've never gotten to experience."

His dewy orbs suddenly snapped into focus and locked with her auburn ones. Tifa was still staring at him, wide-eyed as tears streamed down her cheeks, "I have to for _us,_ Tifa. For _you_."

He reached out slowly and gathered her face in his rough, gloved hands, brushing a single tear away with his thumb.

"Cloud…" Tifa whispered, reaching up to wrap her hands around his wrists.

"Tifa, I love you. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you." Cloud whispered, pulling her close to kiss her, their soft, warm lips pressing up against one another. She pushed up against him, mashing her lips against his; Cloud kissed back, his tongue sliding against her lips, begging for entrance. Tifa parted her lips and kissed around his tongue, her hands grasping clumps of blonde hair as Cloud picked her up and set her on the bar, knocking away several glasses as he did; the objects falling to the floor and breaking loudly as Tifa wrapped her legs around his muscular frame. Cloud growled and pulled at her obsidian tresses lightly as he kissed Tifa hungrily, climbing up onto the bar to position himself above her, more glasses shattering onto the floor.

"Um…"

Auburn and dewy blue snapped up as Cloud and Tifa broke their kiss with a grotesque squelching noise.

Yuffie sighed and traipsed into the bar, shaking her head slowly. Vincent stood silently beside her, the majority of his face covered by the high collar of his cloak.

The ninja continued to shake her head, placing her hands on her hips as she clucked her tongue, "Carry on, I just came back to get something I left here, but obviously, we need to stay to watch the kids." Chocolate orbs scoured the room quickly, "Where's Riku?" Yuffie inquired.

Tifa hastily pulled herself out from under Cloud, her face a bright shade of red. Cloud hopped off of the counter and scratched his head, scowling, but blushing all the same.

"Uhh…" The towhead cleared his throat; "He's out running errands with Kadaj."

"When will they be back?" Vincent inquired, folding his arms as his garnet orbs flitted about the room.

"Um, in about an hour." Tifa replied as she smoothed the wrinkles in her clothes; her auburn orbs suddenly clouded with concern, "What's the matter, Vincent? You look uneasy."

Vincent was silent and merely swept off to the kitchen. Yuffie watched him go, blinking several times before she turned back to Cloud and Tifa, clapping her hands and rubbing them together greedily.

"So…" Began the ninja, "How much do you pay per hour to watch the kids?"

* * *

Riku peered into his reflection from the mirror-like surface of the water. Several pale yellow petals drifted across his reflection and he lightly reached out to touch one, smooth ripples extending across the surface and warping the image of the silver-tressed cat eyed teen staring back.

Kadaj sat upon the ruins of the stone wall, one leg slung over the side, drifting endlessly in a kicking motion as he twirled a white flower between his forefinger and thumb, staring down at it with a nearly expressionless face.

"Shouldn't we be working?" Riku inquired softly, scooping a small bit of water out of the pond.

"Its me that should be working. You have nothing to do with it." The elder teen snorted, waving away the comment with a short gesture. He blinked and held the flower up to the sunlight, studying the veins that ran through the ivory petals with misty orbs.

Riku stared at his hands and the tiny mirror of water cupped within them. A sad kaleidoscope of green and blue stared back, cat-like pupils widened suddenly and he tossed the water back into the pond with a disgusted noise, turning from the small body of water and sitting at its edge, gathering his silver tresses in clumps as he felt the tears threaten to come once again, that familiar burning at the back of his eyes.

"Its okay." A soft voice whispered. Riku jumped, his eyes wide with shock. Small flowers of pastel yellow and ivory tickled his ankles, swaying in a nonexistent breeze. Riku's silver tresses fluttered in front of his eyes as a soft hand was placed on his back, like that of an older sister comforting her frightened little brother. "You don't have to be afraid." The breathy voice continued, "We've all made mistakes, don't think you're the only one."

"Who are you?" Riku inquired, staring around the blank whiteness that had seemed to erupt around him. He heard the woman chuckle jovially.

"I am-"

"Having fun, little remnants?"

The comforting presence and the serene world of flowers was ripped away from Riku in the blink of an eye. It seemed as if the world had become colder as the teen whipped around to face Sephiroth. The ex-warlord stood, plain as day, within the church; an ebony wing folded behind his back. The man with the long silver tresses smirked and blinked slowly as Riku leapt up from where he was sitting. Kadaj extracted Shouba from its sheath and performed a reverse aerial flip from where he was sitting with his back facing Sephiroth, and landed elegantly, the double-bladed katana pointed towards the tall man.

"What do you want, Sephiroth?" Spat Riku, summoning The Way To The Dawn in a flash of light.

"I came to take back what is rightfully mine." A sadistic smirk curled onto Sephiroth's lips as he stared at Riku and Kadaj with out-of-focus green-blue eyes and extracted Masume from the leather loop on his waist that acted as its sheath. Riku's eyes snapped wide as he leapt over the massive katana that had been brutally swung his way. Once he landed, Riku spun around, his eyes still wide and alert, and raised the indigo-tipped blade in an attempt to stop the oncoming Masume. Holding his own blade at an angle, the teen braced himself against the force of the sword. Sephiroth grinned as the two blades collided and Riku was thrown backwards, spinning in the air and landing in a feral crouch. The silver-tressed man raised his sword above his right shoulder, gripping it with both hands as he charged Riku.

Suddenly, Kadaj sprang from the ground behind Riku and landed on the tip of the two-yard katana, agilely running up the length of the sword and slashing at Sephiroth's face. The warlord bent backwards, flipping Masume over and swinging it upwards towards Kadaj, whom sprang to the side to avoid the attack, but the elder man adjusted the momentum of the sword and skinned the side of Kadaj's calf. The teen howled in pain, blood spraying across the room as he fell in a heap on the dirt floor.

"NII-SAN!" Riku yelled, his eyes so wide with horror that his pupils were merely dark slits.

Suddenly, the water of the pond began to tremble, bursting forth from the surface to rise in elegant spirals, which flowed through the air towards Kadaj's limp form.

Sephiroth's smirk flickered and he expelled a soft "Hmph." Before raising his right hand, his left gripping Masume. A deep rumble sounded from the skies and Riku watched, dumbfounded, as a dark mist seeped in through the open doors, windows, and the ruins of the wall, spinning like an eye of a hurricane above Sephiroth's hands, the darkness churning and evanescing from the main group of mist.

An arm of darkness extended from the mass and wrapped around the water that had nearly reached Kadaj; for a moment, the water seemed to be fighting the dark mist, trembling and struggling as the two pressed against one another and the darkness finally contracted around the pale jade water, strangling and causing it to collapse on the ground in a spray of aquarian beads.

The mist washed over Kadaj and swept upwards and over, spiraling towards Riku.

The teen quickly dodged the dark mist as Sephiroth began to circle Riku slowly, Masume held out towards the teen as he cross-stepped again and again, his catlike orbs sparkling dimly with malice. Riku held his Keyblade in a slightly shaking hand, his eyes sliding in and out of focus as he panted for breath, sweat trickling down the side of his face.

Riku's eyes suddenly snapped wide, dark pupils shrinking to slits in a split second as the silver-tressed man lurched and charged Riku. Knowing he would be unable to dodge the attack and would be impaled in a split second, Riku closed his eyes and tensed his body.

At the last moment, however, a hand caught his arm, pulling Riku out of the sword's path. Masume ran across a metallic arm, aerate sparks flying as the two metal surfaces collided.

There was a definite click and a beam of light streaked down the length of a triple-barreled gun just before it reared back in a series of quick shots. Sephiroth's eyes became wide before a cruel smirk curled onto his face and he used Masume to deflect the bullets. Vincent blinked his garnet orbs calmly and grabbed Riku by the collar of his coat, pulling him to the ground as the bullets whizzed overhead.

Vincent reached into his cloak, removing a small box of ammo; in one quick movement, he reloaded the gun and pointed it towards Sephiroth, whom was quietly waiting, the dark mist swirling around him as Vincent grabbed Riku by the arm. "Come on." He said in his dark voice, pulling the silver-tressed youth along with him.

"But what about Kada-?" Riku began quickly.

"He'll be fine." Vincent said calmly and whipped his cloak around Riku.

* * *

The next thing Riku knew, his feet were on solid ground. Vincent threw his cloak out behind him, removing the warm fabric from Riku. The teen was met with a sudden blast of cold that forced him to wrap his arms around him for warmth. The only light in the area was a dull blue glow that radiated from many large formations of crystals; and according to the cold, wet air and the small pool of rippling water, they were somewhere deep underground. Cat-like orbs studied the area, coming to a stop when he spotted the largest crystal.

Encased within it was an elegant woman whom appeared to be in her thirties, her hands placidly crossed over her chest in a way eerily similar to that of a corpse. Her eyes were shut lightly, dark eyelashes clashing beautifully against her milky skin; so peaceful that it appeared that she was sleeping. The tendrils of brunette hair that framed her sleeping face looked so soft and real that Riku wished he could reach out and run his fingers over it. The crystal emitted a more whitish glow than the crystals around it, the light from the crystal blocked only by Vincent's silhouette that showed he was sitting several yards away from the crystal-encased woman.

Riku walked over to the large crystal, chilly water seeping in through his boots as he reached out to stroke the shimmering surface beside her placid face.

"I know her." He said softly, his eyes misted over with confusion, "I know her from my dreams – from my memories." His eyes widened suddenly. Could this be the woman he dreamed of; was this his mother?

"Vincent- wha-what's her name?!" Riku inquired, spinning towards the man. Vincent opened his ruby eyes, and they seemed to coruscate with regret and sadness.

"Lucrecia. Lucrecia Crescent."

Riku whipped around towards the crystal, his eyes wide with shock and horror. _Lucrecia_. That was the name the man in his memory called the woman. Riku's blue and green orbs widened even further, his pupils so small that they were mere lines. He remembered her now; it was like she was there, preserved forever the middle-aged woman that had helped make Riku's life a living hell.

"_Her_! " Riku gasped, panting for breath as he gripped at the crystal, "It was her! She helped do this to me!" Tears formed in Riku's eyes as he stared at the woman beyond the crystal, "How could she…?"

"Lucrecia made many mistakes." Vincent spoke softly, his garnet orbs half-lidded and heavy with thought, "Though she wasn't the only one at fault."

Riku narrowed his eyes in confusion and turned back to Vincent slowly, "What are you saying…?"

"Sephiroth… he's our son." Vincent admitted quietly as he stared at Lucrecia's entombed form.

"How… what…?" Riku struggled to make a coherent sentence, shaking his head slowly as he did so.

"Lucrecia was a protégée when she was very young and knew my father well." The red-cloaked man began to explain, "When my mother died giving birth to me, Lucrecia stepped in to fill the void as a female caregiver. She even went as far as to call me her son sometimes… but a girl such a young age shouldn't have had that much responsibility- she was only eleven." Vincent closed his eyes and continued his story, "Regrettably, it threw some things off in her mind and she became… paranoid of me, eventually. She wanted nothing to do with me. When I was twenty-seven, and she thirty-seven, I was assigned to watch over her in my role of a Turk- assassins for the company she worked for- and…" Vincent finally opened his eyes to study the woman beyond the crystal, his face glowing with some sort of grim nostalgia, "We made some rash decisions. After that, she wanted nothing to do with me. She grew cold and uncaring. I lost my Lucrecia; the woman I fell in love with. She was a confused woman and I hope you do not blame her."

Riku's green and blue orbs traveled to the peaceful face of the woman behind the thick quartz, not living, nor dead.

"Vincent." Said the silver tressed teen softly, "Sephiroth said… he said that I'm his brother. Does that mean you're my…?"

"No." Vincent shook his head, "I was sleeping for thirty years; when I was put into that sleep, Lucrecia hadn't even had Sephiroth yet."

"Is she my mother?" Riku inquired in a hollow voice. But why would his own mother do something like that to her _son_?

"I think Sephiroth meant something different when he said you were brothers. He meant you were related by the Jenova cells. I doubt you were related to Sephiroth; however, you were most likely related to Kadaj, depending on if he was lying or not." Vincent explained solemnly, "We could run a rough background check on the family name Kadaj provided to check the facts, if you'd like that."

Riku bit his lip, staring at Lucrecia's preserved form. However oblivious she was, she had helped take him away from his family, and she'd helped push along the process that made Riku into this monster that had hurt his friends so badly-

Before Riku knew it, Vincent was holding back The Way To The Dawn as the teen struggled to swing it at the glowing quartz that housed Lucrecia.

"LET ME GO!" The silver-tressed youth screamed as he struggled to gain control over the Keyblade; he easily could have done so if he weren't in hysterics, tears coursing down his cheeks from the kaleidoscopes of green and blue that were his eyes, "I HATE HER! I HAVE TO! _I HATE HER_! LOOK WHAT SHE'S DONE TO ME!" Riku finally let go of the blade, Vincent stepping back slightly from the force he'd been using to hold it back. The blade disappeared in a streak of blue light, however, it didn't return to Riku's hand; instead, the teen angrily pounded at the large gem with a single fist, his eyes scrunched up as the tears flowed from them, "WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO ME? WHY?! Why?!" The teen began to calm down, slowly sliding down onto his knees, that became immersed in water, silver bangs falling over his eyes as he bowed his head, still weakly pounding at the crystal, the inquiring of 'why' growing fainter and fainter until it was only a breath on his lips.

"Why did she do _this_ to me?" Vincent asked softly, holding his arms away from his body, head bent in agony. Riku squinted his eyes in confusion, eyeing the elder man.

"W-What?" he choked out. "But I thought – "

"No. It wasn't just Lucrecia, Riku. It was _Hojo_." Vincent growled the last name darkly. Riku bit back a startled gasp in recognition. A searing hot pain wracked his body, and he began to shake violently, screaming in pain. _"Hojo! Do you think you're doing the right thing…? He's merely a child and-" "Are you one to speak, Lucrecia?" "… nothing to say." "Quite the hypocrite …" "Poor child." "Commencing Project R.I.K.U Jenova #1445…"_

"NO!"

White noise, the chill of water, and then darkness.

* * *

"NO!" Riku screamed again, eyes flashing open. His hands were tightly clenched around the fabric surrounding him, his heart hammering against his chest. He caught his breath and wiped the sweat from his brow, straining to remember what it was he was yelling about. Then it came to him, creeping slowly back and filling the cloudy memories. He was in that cave… with Vincent. And then… he frowned, urging the recollections to continue. Lucrecia! He had been in the water, trying to decimate her tomb. He had been crying as well. And there had been pain. Lots of pain.

Riku shook his foggy head; silver tresses splaying out around him, catching the dim light almost like a halo. He swung his legs over the edge of the mattress, supporting himself with his arms. In a split second, he was lying on his back with a muffled WUMP, his uttered yip echoing faintly in the bare room. "Man!" he whined, rubbing his bicep with a hand. "It feels like I just got my flu shot!" Biting his lip, he ignored the intense throbbing and pulled enough momentum to rise from the bed. The force made him stagger forwards a bit, and he caught himself by reaching out to the nearby dresser. "Sonnuva BITCH!" he hissed between clenched teeth. "Screw flu shot, they might as well have given me shots against _rabies_!" The teen swore vehemently under his breath.

"Now how the hell did I get here?" he pondered as he made his way slowly down the staircase in Tifa and Cloud's home. "Vincent?" he called wearily, wondering if the enigmatic man had decided to stick around long enough to see if he had come too or not. It was quiet a moment.

"Oui- erm, I mean… uh, yes?"

"Eh?" Riku scratched the base of his neck as he jumped the last two stairs, stalking into the bar. "I must be more delirious than I thought." He muttered, cocking a fine brow. "Or were you really speaking French?"

"Oui, j'étais désolé, je devine que j'ai juste obtenu un peu perdu dans ma lecture. Mes excuses." Vincent rattled off smoothly, setting a heavy volume on the bar.

"Um… I take that as a 'yes'?" the teen said awkwardly, sitting on the stool beside the cloaked man.

"Hmn." The raven tressed man smirked lightly, a mere line that his lips created. "I said: Yes, I was. Sorry, I guess I just got a bit lost in my reading. My apologies."

"I see." Riku nodded automatically, craning his head to the side to read the gold leaf lettering on the black leather-bound book. "Marquis de Sade?" he read off. "'Sade'? As in… sadism?" the seventeen-year-old remarked in slight disturbance.

"Indeed." Vincent replied matter-of-factly, completely unperturbed. "As in well written French literature." He took a sip of the small glass of brandy beside him. "As well as decently drawn illustrations." Riku saw the brief glimmer of laughter that danced in the man's garnet eyes and shot him a suspicious look.

"Meaning what exactly?" he asked, feeling almost sly.

"Marquis de Sade is a renowned author like Lautreamont or Artaud. Such men have been called 'mad', but are quite… insightful, might one say?" Another sip of brandy.

"I still don't think I'm following." Riku admitted, reaching for the book. A metallic hand blanketed his quickly.

"If you must know, Marquis de Sade has page after page of repetitive pornography." He smirked boldly, challenging the teen's questioning stare. Riku paled considerably.

"Eh… thanks for the information." He blinked slowly, settling back in his chair. _He _might_ just go back for that book later, but granted, it _was_ a bit creepy to know Vincent had looked at it…_

"If you're into surreal debauchery, sadism, nihilism and the morbidly bizarre, you might enjoy their works." Vincent continued smoothly, clearly enjoying himself. Riku forced a smile.

"Thanks for the reference." He squeaked out. _Okay, scratch the previous thought. Sadistic? What kinda freak - man, the government should hire him to talk to kids about drugs. I bet he could go on for _hours_ saying how 'wonderful' drugs are and say the most horrid things to those poor children in that pleasant but dark tone of his and – _"Huh?" he asked, suddenly brought back to his senses.

"I was asking how you were feeling. You look a bit pale." Vincent repeated, worry glazing over his smug expression. Well, as much expression as he was capable of portraying, anyways.

"Hmn? Oh, ah… I could use some water, really." Riku commented, hopping down from the stool. As he walked back into the kitchenette behind the bar he caught the man reaching for the book again and shivered._ The government, I swear! _He thought fervently.

"Someone's pretty talkative today." A voice commented dryly.

"GAH!" the teen jumped, fumbling with the cup in his hands. Cloud chuckled and stood up from his reclined position against the side of the refrigerator.

"Jeez, kid. I was standing right here this whole time." He said amusedly, ruffling Riku's hair slightly.

"I'm not a kid." The teen shot back half-heartedly, busy trying to keep shards of ice from spewing out across the linoleum floor.

"Sure ya are." Cloud said, tossing the ice cream bar wrapper in the garbage under the sink. "And don't mind Vincent too much. He's just happy 'cause he got laid." The towhead threw over his shoulder with a slight chuckle as he traipsed out the door.

"I musta hit my head." Riku decided soundly. "People around here are acting WAY too weird. Next I'm going to start seeing moogles…" He made his way back into the bar and resumed his seat beside Vincent, eyeing the man wearily. "So…" he began, swirling the ice cubes in his cup around lazily.

"You passed out." The cloaked man commented.

"I noticed." Riku snorted. "What did you mean about earlier? Look what she did to you? After that you said Hojo, so…?" he trailed off.

"My father, Grimoire Valentine, was assigned to protect the scientists that Shin-ra employed. He died protecting them, and I followed in his footsteps and became a Turk. As it turned out, they assigned me his role. When I first met Lucrecia, she seemed genuinely dumbfounded that I was given that position, and hastily made the comment that she had never met a Turk before. Well, as you now must have realized, Lucrecia became pregnant."

"With yo-"

"Yes." Vincent quickly interjected. "Being the scientist that she was, well… everything was an experiment to her." He sighed heavily. "They all had been experimenting with the mako that the reactors produced, which ran all of the cities – and I mean everywhere. Even in Kalm, and Nebelheim. Midgar itself was the haven of mako, what with a reactor in every sector. But I digress. There was a reactor in the more mountainous region above Nebelheim – only reachable by mule – where horrible mutated creations were stored in locked compartments. Monsters that would occasionally get loose… that were once humans. They were drenched in the reek of mako, completely submerged in it. And it was there also that Jenova was kept – the alien life form that harvested the planet's cruelest cellular organisms, aptly named after her.

"The scientists created those monsters, then hid them away in the most top secret places were the people would never get word of the monstrosities that Shin-ra was responsible for. They were curious of the effects that the mako would have on humans. Hojo suggested…" Vincent swallowed hard, a nostalgic look misting over his generally clear garnet orbs. "Hojo suggested that they perform a new test. They had only tested on humans far into their lives, or even as early as late teens, but never any younger. Hojo declared they inject her, and therefore her unborn child, with the mako cells, and monitor the results. More than that, but he wanted to throw in the wildcard of the Jenova cells as well.

"I… I was so shocked… and hurt… that she would go through with it. What kind of mother would endanger her unborn child, as well as herself, so recklessly? I guess… she wished it dead anyways…"

"Don't say that!" Riku exclaimed, looking at him sharply.

"In any case." The elder man continued bitterly. "I came to see if it were true. She yelled at me, but her message was clear enough – nothing would stop her from going through with the plan. Then again – " he looked up solemnly. "There is reason to blame me as well. I should have said something; I should have tried to stop her. But I remained mute and numb to the situation, and let it pass. THAT is my Sin." He looked away, his forefinger swirling around the edge of his glass.

"But how does that explain how… well…" Riku trailed off, trying to find words that wouldn't be offensive.

"How I have a metal arm and so forth?" the other man helpfully filled in. "I went to see her one day, to try for the last time to advise her against her course of action, and Hojo… _shot_ me."

"WHAT?!" Riku screeched incredulously. "WHAT THE HELL WOULD HE DO THAT FOR?!"

"I was endangering his project. He had failed repeatedly to spark the interest or good graces of Shin-ra, and he was a power monger, desperate to get higher up in ranks. He shot me with the intent of killing me, eliminating the problem. But he found me still breathing, and I could hear him cackling madly to himself as I tried to fight the unconsciousness that crept upon me. He kept saying how brilliant he was, how he could fix past mishaps and misdemeanors. How this experiment couldn't fail. The next thing I know, I wake up on an operating table, the way you see me now, in horrible pain. I managed to scramble off of it before I passed out again, and then I woke up in a tube filled with some liquid – presumably a mako induced substance. Hojo injected me with mako, but I do not have the mako eyes that are so characteristic of the chemical. He gave me… Chaos. With Chaos, my body will transform into horrid beasts with unimaginable power.

"But Chaos is a curse. Devious, and conscious in of itself. It seeks to

supplant me, to dominate my body and seek a life of it's own through me. And that was the last act of kindness I received from Lucrecia. Her whispers still haunt me, 'I'm so sorry'. That's all she says. But thanks to her, I have the Protomateria inside me. Because of it, I can overpower Chaos, and instead use it's powers at will. So in ways, it is her fault. She was apart of the project I became, and at the same time, she gave me a way to live. It's complicated."

"I'm sorry." Riku said blankly, staring into his now empty cup. "That must be horrible. I mean, you two… jeez." He brought the glass to his lips and set it back down. "I guess I'm luckier in leaps and bounds then, huh?" he laughed forcibly.

"Luck has nothing to do with it." Vincent shook his head. "I'm sorry on her behalf for what has happened to you, but what becomes of you…" he rose from his seat and tucked Marquis de Sade under his arm. "Is entirely up to you."

"Vincent!" Riku called as the tall man reached the doorway. He paused, and turned his head towards his shoulder, indicating his attentiveness. "Thanks." The teen grinned a little. "It helps to know other's stories. Something to grow from, right?"

"Hmn." Riku bet that Vincent was smiling.

**End Chapter Nine**


	10. Database

**Jenova's Children **

**By Kawaii and Junsui**

**Chapter 10**

**Database**

The house was oddly quiet. Sure, the bar was full par usual – Tifa rushing around taking orders with the help of Marlene, Yazoo working behind the bar this time, and Loz doing the dishes. Vincent had left on an errand, and Yuffie had decided to tag along with him, and Cloud and Denzel were in the back working on Fenrir. All in all, things were going full swing, but somehow… it was quiet. Like some unseen fog had swept down upon the surrounding city and muffled all cheer and … _emotion_, really. Riku bit his lip tentatively, trying to piece things together as he ran to the giant freezer. The icy blast chilled him, and he hurried to roll the fresh keg out as quickly as possible. Generally, all the ales and wines were kept in the cellar down in the basement, but this liquor demanded cold as it was from some remote area to the North.

_It couldn't be a holiday, or a festival, it was too somber. Had someone died? Were there lay-offs recently?_ Riku pondered, poking around the large and cluttered cabinet for the corkscrew. He growled softly, pushing aside ones only appropriate for wine bottles and glared evilly at the only manual one left. That was going to be Hell on his hands. And his arms ached something awful too. That morning's conversation with Vincent had got him thinking, however, and he wondered if memories could cause physical pain as well. _Could I just have such strong memories of these events that they are causing me to relive them physically? Is that even possible?_

"Snap to it kid!" Loz said playfully, reaching beside him to grab the ice strainer. He gave Riku a quick grin before whisking away to hand off the utensil to Yazoo, who stood impatiently with a margarita glass in one hand and a towel in the other.

"Don't forget the salt!" he cried to Loz, who had just attempted to escape to the kitchenette the family used behind the bar. The place just seemed empty, however, and Riku found himself lost in thought once more. Where was Kadaj? Sure, it wasn't unusual for him to wander off, and for long increments of time at that. He always did enjoy stretching his luck with Tifa's good graces; for all of her talk of hard punishment and long work – not to mention community service – she hadn't really impressed the duties upon him. But somehow he seemed to have been absent longer than usual.

"SHIT!" he exclaimed suddenly, slamming his fist downwards in frustration. It punched through the top of the keg, cleanly removing the lid. Pain lanced up and down his arm, and he instinctively cradled the injured member to his chest.

"That's one way of taking care of that." Yazoo said, eyeing the scene with interest, slender eyebrows raised. "Although I don't think it's a method Tifa would approve of."

"Where's Kadaj?!" Riku gasped, wheeling around to fully face the just-legal young man.

"Probably out causing havoc and mayhem –" the other shrugged, wiping a bit of counter. "- as usual." He ended dryly, scowling slightly.

"NO! Where. Is. Kadaj?!" Riku reiterated, flushed at his sudden outburst.

"Riku, maybe you should – " Yazoo began, worry lacing over his usually calm exterior.

"Oh, just drop the façade, Yaz!" Loz interrupted, emerging from the kitchenette with a huge container of sea salt. "You're just as worried as the rest of us!" His "brother" sent him an exasperated death glare and stalked off. "Look, kid." Loz explained, removing bobbing pieces of lid from the open keg. "I know you aren't stupid, and none of us think so. The fact is you're… a bit fragile."

"I AM N-" Riku began angrily.

"And we're all trying to give you as much respect as possible for the circumstances." Loz continued. "We know that you are a strong individual and all, but you've been through a really hard time. And things are just getting more complicated for you. We get that. We just wanna make sure that you don't do something rash that you'll regret. We wanna keep you safe but not shield you from the world like you're so incompetent of functioning otherwise." He shrugged. "We're here for ya kid, whenever you need us. Heh, it's not like we haven't been through enough shit already not to know things, right?"

Riku stared at him in shock. "Ya, thanks." He blinked. "Really, I mean it. It's nice to know that complete strangers are here for me."

"Ouch." Loz grinned. "After all this time and we're still strangers, huh?"

"I didn't mean it li-" Riku hurried to explain.

"It's cool kid, only teasing! Now, help me move this thing, eh?"

"S-Sure." The teen nodded, moving to help him. At that moment, the door burst open, creaking as its hinges bent a tad too far, and slammed shut from the sheer force. A flurry of black and white bounced about the room, and promptly landed square in front of the three silver haired men. The door opened more silently this time, and an embarrassed man rushed after the… cat?

"The HELL?!" Riku backed away from the tuxedo cat that sat dramatically before him. Atop his head was a small golden crown, and a small scarlet cape was tied around his neck. And was he wearing…? Yes, small white gloves covered his forepaws.

"Why hello there laddie!" It greeted him in a thick Scottish accent.

"IT TALKS?!" Riku now stood completely flabbergasted before the feline.

"I am SO sorry about him!" the man who had followed the cat apologized, picking up said feline from counter.

"Hey! Reeve! Let me go!" it continued on, muttering words so thick with accent that it was completely inaudible.

"I'm Reeve Tuesti." The man continued, offering his hand to Riku who awkwardly shook it. "I'm the commissioner for the W.R.O."

"Um, I'm sorry. The what?" the teen asked, confusedly. _Did he know this man? Was he supposed to?_

"The World Regenisis Organization." Reeve laughed, still struggling with the cat. "This is Cait Sith by the way." He added begrudgingly. "He's actually a robot of sorts I built. Great for infiltry work." He whispered slyly. "So! I hear Vincent has been hanging out around here. Any chance I might have caught him?"

"Sorry, no." Yazoo replied. "But – " he craned his neck around to peek at the clock. "- with any luck he'll be back within the hour, providing Yuffie doesn't take him on a wild goose chase looking for a new game controller or a flat iron or something." He rolled his eyes.

"Yuffie?!" Reeve exclaimed. "Yuffie Kisaragi?!"

"The same." Yazoo moaned, his upper lip curling distastefully. "Why, you know her?" he asked, sounding more like, "Why, can you remove her from my sight and peripheral vision?"

"Why yes, she did some work for us just barely a year ago." The tanned man nodded. "She was a great help, headed up our intelligence unit." Yazoo barely suppressed a snort.

"I'm sure she was." He nodded seriously, the corners of his lips threatening to twitch into a grin.

"Well, who knows when they'll be back." The commissioner shrugged, brushing back a few stray ebony locks with a hand. "I'll return later, and without the extra baggage." He sent a meaningful look to the now placid Cait Sith. "Sorry for the trouble." He waved.

"Hey, Reeve?" Riku perked up, an idea forming in his mind. "How far out does the W.R.O. patrol to?"

"All over the place. We stick to Edge, but we often circuit the nearest towns just in case. You know, like Kalm, and old Midgar, even out to the chocobo farms at times. One can never be too careful!" he chuckled. "Why do you ask?"

"I was just wondering." Riku said thoughtfully. "If you happen to run across Kadaj, would you send him over here for us?"

"Kadaj?" Reeve frowned.

"Ya, he looks like one of us." Riku explained, hitching a thumb towards the other two. "A bit shorter than me, well, barely, with shoulder length hair. Shouldn't be too hard to find. He'll probably be in black leather too." He added. "Last we saw him…" Riku gulped audibly. "He was in old Midgar, near the church."

"Sure thing." Reeve nodded, slightly put off by the teen's strange change of character. "We'll keep an eye out for him. Well, we'll see you around!" Once he was out the door, Loz and Yazoo looked imploringly at Riku.

"I can not believe you just did that." The younger of the two sighed, adjusting the collar of his turtleneck.

"Why?" the youngest of the group frowned, eyes darting from one to the other. "What's wrong with that?!"

"Kadaj… he looks like Se- well, you know." Loz explained, wincing as he checked to see if anyone had caught his words. "It doesn't really help that he's in that suit either. People may not know his name, but once they see that… well, it's not something you just forget all that quickly."

"But you guys are working here and turned out to be great and all, so what's the big deal with the W.R.O. helping us out?" the Keybearer argued.

"But Kadaj is the one who was selected." Yazoo pointed out, eloquently using his words that meant something specific to them alone.

"And?" Riku spat impatiently. "I still don't see why it's such a big deal."

"It's a psychological thing, mostly." The older brother sighed. "People see you and put the pieces together with another thing, no matter if the puzzle fits together or not, and they judge you based on that alone. Hell, we scare the bejesus outta people – and with good reason I suppose – an it wouldn't shock me when they instinctively walk away, shield their children, or reach for a weapon." He shrugged sheepishly.

"Stereotyping." Riku said in disdain.

"Exactly."

* * *

As it turned out, Vincent arrived exactly two and a quarter hours later than he had planned, burdened down with a multitude of bags from various locations. Yuffie traipsed through the door happily, swinging around a small white bag with her new pink game controller inside. Not only was it pink, but also there were little strawberries and stars painted on the handles, and every half hour it would play some urban pop song that Riku had never heard of. Also, it could recognize whenever you'd made a combo of any kind and would light up with pink light. What a ninja as rough and tumble as Yuffie wanted with such an obsessive amount of pink was beyond Riku, but frankly he found it somewhat disturbing.

"So, what else did you drudge up from the depths of The Super 24 hour Midgarmart?" Cloud asked amusedly, wiping off blackened and greasy hands with a spare dishtowel.

"Look Cloud! Soap! Soap is gooood!" Yuffie teased, waving a lavender infused bar at him. The blonde rolled his eyes.

"No really, there's always something interesting to see from the labors of your little adventures." He smirked, blue eyes twinkling mischievously.

"Weeeeeeeeeeeeeell." Yuffie said dramatically, poking through the bags. "We got a chia pet that looks like a chocobo!" she chirped, pulling the clay creature from the nearest bag. "And a tennis racket, and some shoe polish, and nail polish – for me, obviously –" Vincent paled considerably at this. If she weren't his fiancée, he'd probably have shot her then. "We also got a tube of tennis balls, a churro machine, a power washer, a jade plated flat iron that can also crimp, a pack of hair ties, Spiderman on DVD, two Sports Illustrated, a folding fan, a PS2 converter, aaaaaaaaaaaaand…" she took a deep breath and rattled off more of the completely random crap she had used Vincent's money to buy. He sighed mournfully at the loss and slipped away, giving Riku a convenient excuse to escape the piling amount of junk that was now blocking the ninja from view.

"Do you even like tennis?" Riku couldn't hold back the comment. Vincent looked at him wryly.

"Not in the slightest."

"Oh!" the silver tressed teen hit the heel of his palm against his forehead with a loud THWACK! "A guy named Reeve was looking for you a while back. Him and his deranged cat."

"Cait Sith." The man nodded. "Good, that must mean they found something."

"Huh? What do you mean?" the teen cocked his head to the side. "I asked if they could look out for Kadaj, but did you already…?"

"No." Vincent answered simply. "Come with me." Riku stared after him, perplexed, but did as he was told and followed after.

"Um?"

"Hmn?"

"Are we gonna use your cloak again?" the Keybearer asked hesitantly.

"No."

_Ohthankgod._ Riku sighed to himself. Using Vincent's cape as a means of transportation made him feel dizzy and lightheaded, and not to mention sick to his stomach as if someone stabbed him in the gut up through the navel. Not an experience he wanted to undergo again, if given the chance.

"We don't have to go to the W.R.O. headquarters, seeing as they only have access to the legal paperwork. We're lucky that we're in Edge already, and have connections to old Midgar, myself especially."

"What do you mean? What is it we're looking for?" the lustrous tressed teen asked, struggling to keep pace with Vincent's long strides.

"Records." The man replied curtly.

"Records? What of, and what does Reeve have to do with anything?"

"Reeve worked with Shin-ra as the Head of Department of Urban Development, and was therefore exposed to many files. Shin-ra itself had a huge room filled with documents of all kinds – citizens records, building verifications, mako licensing, historical references, copies of court trails, even receipts for some of the major dealings between Midgar and other cities – you name it, Shin-ra had it recorded. Their work was extensive, and unfortunately, for more sinister and greedy intentions. All of which brought them to their own demise in the end, but those records still survived. As you have seen, Midgar is a ghost town these days. Such records are of extreme value, and therefore the less fortunate – and many at that – have raided the place and stolen many legal documents in exchange for money. Can you imagine having papers entitling you to a chunk of land at your disposal? It's pandemonium for the workers, trying to trace these things down, but most all of it had wound up here in Edge."

"Why here?" Riku posed. "What makes Edge so special?"

"It's where many of the inhabitants of Midgar flocked to. It's part of their history now, the foundation of their new beginnings." Vincent replied. The rest of their walk was silent, and it wasn't long before they had made it to the cities heart. The giant statue in commemoration of Meteorfall stood shining bronze in the mid afternoon sunlight, streaking an amberish glow on the surrounding buildings. Vincent led Riku over to a building to the Southern end of the town, slightly separated from the rest. It was oppressive, with ornate carvings in its gleaming steel framing, yet at the same time… humble, and a part of the city. The great glass doors were locked, although no arms barred the way, nor were there handles. A small box sat mounted into the wall to the left of the doors, onto which Vincent rapped his golden claws. With a sigh of slight exasperation, he stared pointedly into the security cameras that Riku had never noticed before, and within seconds, a startled female voice admitted them entrance.

The giant glass doors slid apart, making a slight sucking noise as the strong, near invisible seal split apart. "It's weather stripping as well as a coating that cancels out sound." Vincent explained. "This is a very important building. You'd do well to mind yourself." He reminded kindly. Riku nodded wordlessly beside him and tried to ignore the stares of several official looking employees that eyed them over some notes they were reading, or who briskly strode down the long hallways with a ceramic mug of coffee. The whole place was pristine with simple plants placed sporadically for just a touch of color to the sterile environment. For a second, Riku journeyed back to the time when he'd walked the halls and corridors of the castle that resided in The World that Never Was, home to the elite group of Nobodies that comprised Organization XIII. Funny how that seemed like ages ago.

"Here." Vincent gestured to a wide door at the end of the hall. As they approached, an employee exited the opposite room and stopped for a brief second to punch in a series of numbers on the keypad beside the door before entering. Riku shot a glance at the gunslinger, catching a slight sheen in the man's eyes. They came up to the keypad and Vincent eyed it a second before carefully selecting a series of numbers. Riku sucked in his breath, certain that alarms would suddenly sound off at any moment. But the door released from its airtight seal with a rush of air and swung open, beckoning them in.

"You just learned that password, didn't you?" the Keybearer smirked.

"What's it matter if it got us in?" Vincent replied, coming relatively close to what might be called a smile. For him, anyways.

"What is this place?" the silver tressed teen inquired, scanning the multiple monitors buzzing and whirring around the room.

"This is the record room. To keep civilians from stealing documents and the like, as with what happened in Midgar, the leaders of Edge decided it was best that all of the records be transferred into digital files. All of it can be backed up, and is backed up and stored in a vault."

"Can't the system be hacked, though? Or get a virus?" Riku thought, recalling Ansem the Wise and his ever-president fear of loosing his data.

"That's why it's all backed up. If they wanted to, they could wipe the entire system clean in case of emergency. Now." He directed the teen to a chair before one of the screens, sitting in front of it himself. "I had Reeve and his team look up citizen files for the name 'Nonaka'. If he was looking for me, he must have found them." He clarified, typing in a user name and password for the user "Reeve".

"Vincent?" Riku asked, a quirky smile playing across his lips. "You really don't play fair, do you?"

"Small price you pay for information." The other man shrugged casually. "Thank Cait Sith, he's got zero loyalty to that man, loves to play harmless jokes on him." He chuckled softly.

"Woah!" Riku suddenly ushered as row after row of headlines appeared on the screen.

"Well, I suppose we just start here." Vincent decided, clicking on the first headline.

CITIZEN 

Name: Nonaka Sitoshi

Date: October 11th – November 2nd

Height: 5' 11"

Hair: Black

Eye: Blue

Birthplace: Midgar

Parents: Nonaka; Masayoshi and Naoki

Residential: Nebelheim; Central Plaza; two story

Relations: Nonaka Haruki; Nonaka Kadaj; Nonaka Yukio

Occupation: SOLDIER Fifth Regiment, Second Class, Bronze Star

Licenses: Polearms and Shotgun; Registration I.D. #09734097VR

"Dad." Riku breathed. "Tou-san. Kadaj was serious." He gazed forlornly at the screen. "He's dead." He said regretfully. Vincent placed a hand on the teen's shoulder.

"I'm sorry." He muttered. "You should be honored though. He has quite a lot of honor attached to his name." He added seriously, scanning over the list with slight awe before turning back to Riku. "Yukio, is it?" he raised a skeptic eyebrow.

"Ya, according to Kadaj. That was my birth name. Once I became an experiment, well…" he left Vincent to piece the rest together. It seemed as though he had, for he faintly nodded, and then clicked on the next headline.

CITIZEN 

Name: Nonaka Haruki

Date: April 3rd –

Height: 5' 7"

Hair: Black

Eye: Hazel

Birthplace: Kalm

Parents: Takaya; Rokuro and Ayano

Residential: Nebelheim; Central Plaza; two story

Relations: Nonaka Sitoshi; Nonaka Kadaj; Nonaka Yukio

Occupation: Merchant/Vendor

Licenses: Business Establishment Circa 8300; #0938674

"Look!" Riku exclaimed excitedly. "There's no date to mark her death. You don't think?" he looked eagerly at his companion.

"Hate to put a damper on your party, however…" the pale skinned man sighed heavily. "Chances are… just don't get your hopes up just yet. There's still more to read through."

"The next one is Kadaj's profile." Riku read. "What's that pushpin next to it indicate?"

"There are files in relation to this one." Was his response. The curser hovered over the yellow icon and a cream colored box appeared beside it. "37 files, to be exact." He said in slight shock.

CITIZEN 

Name: Nonaka Kadaj

Date: June 19th

Height: 5' 6"

Hair: Black

Eye: Hazel

Birthplace: Nebelheim

Parents: Nonaka; Sitoshi and Haruki

Residential: Nebelheim; Central Plaza; two story

Relations: Nonaka Sitoshi; Nonaka Haruki; Nonaka Yukio

Occupation: None+

Licenses: Handgun: Registration I.D. #39524738KD

"Black?" Vincent mouthed. "That's interesting." He pointed to the screen. "It says here that his hair color is black, but we know this isn't true. Unless he lost pigment…" he bit his bottom lip. "The records are never wrong, you see."

Kadaj's words drifted back to him. _We died that night, all three of us. But not for very long. Whatever it was that had happened, we came back, as you see me now. Silver hair, cat-like eyes that show signs of mako energy. Increased speed, senses, strength. And we were no longer ourselves._ "It turned silver, the way it is now, after they had passed through the Lifestream, imprinted with Seph-" he stopped himself short, recalling Loz's restraint of the name back at the bar. "Imprinted with _his_ soul." He rephrased.

"Makes one wonder, then." Vincent mused, looking at Riku critically.

"Makes one wonder what?"

"Hold on a second." Vincent muttered, clicking on the next headline.

CITIZEN 

Name: Nonaka Yukio

Date: May 15th

Height: 3'2"

Hair: Black

Eye: Blue

Birthplace: Nebelheim

Parents: Nonaka; Sitoshi and Haruki

Residential: Nebelheim; Central Plaza; two story

Relations: Nonaka Sitoshi; Nonaka Haruki; Nonaka Kadaj

Occupation: None+

Licenses: None

"T-That's _me_." Riku said breathlessly. "I… I really did have black hair?"

"I suppose you did. But how do explain that? You never passed through the Lifestream, nor have you endured that sort of metamorphosis, at least to my knowledge." The cloaked man pointed out.

"No." Riku shook his head slowly. "I may not have, but I _was_ experimented on. Both Kadaj and I have been in the presence of Jenova cells, at least, that's how we figure it. See that cross beside the occupation? What happens if you click on it? Kadaj's page had that too."

"It should lead to more information, like the pushpin icon." He thought out loud, hitting it all the same. "Just as I thought. These files just are specifically tied to occupation."

"I had to have been only four or five at the time! Younger maybe! What could they possibly have for – " something caught his eye. "R.I.K.U. Jenova Project # 1445" His throat suddenly felt parch dry, his eyes sliding out of focus. "Vincent, click on that." He whispered. In a split second, the screen came up.

_**R.I.K.U. Jenova Project #1445**_

_**Class 5**_

**Dr.'s R. Hojo and L. Crescent**

_In such an event that Project #385 should fail to meet any and all requirements as is assumed he shall fulfill, Project #1445 may step in and resume his place. The balance of Jenova/Mako of 1445 is both higher and lower than that of 385, and administration was performed differently. Procedure for 1445 lasted 6 weeks, with daily dosage and nine additional shots alternating days. Balances consisted of 85 Mako/15 Jenova. Dosage increments rose by week 4, and Jenova concentration rose by 8. 385, on the other hand, received two shots daily of pure Mako and pure Jenova for a span of approximately 270 days. Project 385 was immediately separated from distinct parentals, as 1445 shall undergo similarly. While the two substances are relatively unstable, there has yet to be discovered an unbalance between the two, rather than that of a harmony, which may increase the lifespan of our race. Jenova Project #1445 in the end received a ratio of 6.39-8.54 Jenova/Mako, whilst project 385 received a more equal 7.12-8.46. Instability may occur in either specimen, and further documentation will prove the entire outcome of this venture. Given the physiological brain schematics and read outs of 385 so far, it is plausible that 1445 will make a much higher quality of a specimen. Shin-ra Electric Power Company may most benefit from 1445 in their search for the elite and stoic warrior they so wish to posses at the helm of their own quest for success. As scientists of said company, we are entitled to a quarter the rewards of said venture if the project forthwith proves within the likes of the company. _

_- Dr. L. Crescent_

Jenova Project #1445

R.I.K.U.

Regenerate International Kamikaze Ultimatum

_to bring into existence again_

_planet-wide_

_a person whom behaves in a wildly reckless or destructive manner_

_a final proposal or statement of conditions_

Below this was the digital rendering of two signatures; one tiny and neat in a fine cursive, the other scrawled and haphazard looking on the page. A short distance down from these two was another of generous proportion and five others underneath this, and finally, Shin-ra's official seal. Riku sat back in his chair heavily, a tangy feeling sinking into his stomach. He felt a horrible, acidic wave of disgust, shock, and horror intermingling throughout him, pouring into every ounce of his being. "Who is #385?" he asked hollowly, ideas already formulating in his mind. Vincent paused a moment, his eyes sliding back into focus. The cursor hovered over the set of three numbers, but when the page loaded, there was nothing but a blank screen.

"THE DATA IS CORRUPT" a robotic female voice read as a bright read box flashed up on the monitor.

"It's been deleted." Vincent mused. "I'm afraid it'll take a lot more searching if the Shin-ra files aren't accessible. Either the original files were never found, they were destroyed or stolen, or it was simply erased from the system. It may never have been entered, of course, but that would be only if the files were never found or found faulty."

"So what now?" said Riku, staring blankly at the error message.

"Only thing you can do." Vincent replied, clicking out of the page and signing off. "Follow your leads. Talk to Kadaj, for one thing. Your mother's ending date was never given, so it is possible that she's still around. Even still, there are connections in Nebelheim, and files as well. That's where Shin-ra Manor sits, the place where I was kept underneath for thirty years in a coffin. For my own redemption. For atonement for my Sin. No matter how you look at it, there are answers waiting for you in Nebelheim." His eyes connected with Riku's cerulean ones. "And this journey's only just begun."

**End Chapter Ten**


	11. Odyssey

**Jenova's Children **

**By Kawaii and Junsui**

**Chapter 11**

**Odyssey**

"Nebelheim?!" Yuffie leapt off of the counter from where she'd been sitting, running up to Vincent and grasping desperately by the front of his cloak, "No! I'm not letting you leave me! I'm going with you!"

"Yuffie," Vincent said calmly, taking her hands in his and removing them from his cloak, "It's too dangerous. It'll take us a long time, and-"

"NO!" Screamed the ninja, throwing herself into his chest. "NO! I'm not staying here!" Riku watched the couple argue from afar as Tifa helped him pack supplies into a yellow duffle bag.

"Hey, Tifa?"

"Hmm?" Tifa hummed in reply as she placed a small case of potions in the bag, briskly brushing a lock of dark brown hair out of her auburn eyes.

"How did Yuffie and Vincent end up together?" Riku inquired softly as he watched the ninja stomp angrily and start to shout. "I mean, they're so different… like day and night."

"I agree." Tifa said softly, staring at the couple as well with soft auburn orbs, "But… it just kinda happened. I don't think either of them was thinking that they'd end up together. If anything, they're perfect for each other."

Riku blinked blue and green orbs in confusion, "How so?"

"Yuffie brings a sort of cheer to his life, something Vincent's never really had. And… it's sad to say this, but if Vincent hadn't found someone…" The two watched as Vincent reached out to cup Yuffie's chin in his hand, staring deep into her eyes and softly said something to her. The ninja's chocolate orbs dropped down in grim defeat before she looked back up to him and said something in reply. Vincent nodded and they kissed. "Then I doubt Vincent would've let himself live. He wouldn't have a reason to. He needs her." A grin spread on the woman's face, "And I don't know if you've noticed, but Yuffie needs Vincent, too. That girl has the common sense of a walnut. If it wasn't for Vincent, she probably would've run into a pole and killed herself."

Riku chuckled jovially as he shoved a pack of beef jerky into the duffle bag and zipped it up, "Hey, Tifa… thanks."

The woman smiled and quickly kissed Riku's cheek, "You're welcome, Riku. I hope you find what you're looking for,"

The lustrous-tressed teen's eyes misted over as he stared straight ahead, "Yeah, me too."

* * *

"So, are you sure you have everything you need?" Tifa inquired as Riku threw his duffle bag into the trunk of the gray van with the WRO insignia painted onto its side.

"Yep, pretty sure." Riku nodded as he climbed into the van.

"Hey, kid!"

Riku's head snapped up as Cloud walked out from the bar, one hand clasped around Marlene's. The small girl was carrying Cait Sith in one arm, the cat calmly wagging his tail.

"First off, we got an e-mail from Reeve. He wants you to meet him in Kalm," Cloud explained, "And-"

"And you get to take me along, Laddie!" Cried Cait Sith, pulling himself from Marlene's arms. The child giggled as the cat bounded over to Riku and hopped into the silver-tressed teen's arms.

"I'm sure Vincent will let you borrow his gun if the cat gets _too _annoying." The blonde snorted.

"To shoot me or the cat?" Riku grinned weakly as the tuxedo cat scoffed and glared up at him, his ears pinned flat to his head.

"Oi, Laddie! Give it a rest!" Cait Sith growled, his tail twitching irritably.

"And one more thing." Cloud reached out to Riku, and grabbed his hand – the teen quickly held Cait Sith with his other arm tighter – and placed something with slight weight into the open palm, closing the teen's fingers around it. Riku glanced up at him curiously and looked down into his palm to see a silver ring with a metallic wolf's head carved into it.

"Thanks." Riku said quietly, pocketing the ring with a nod. He recognized it as Cloud's personal emblem, and all within the family bore a ring identical to the one he had just received. He smiled briefly, a warming feeling of acceptance washing over him.

"Good luck." Cloud said quietly. Riku nodded silently in reply.

"It was nice meeting you, Onii-San." Marlene cooed, smiling up at Riku with cheer sparkling in her brown eyes.

"It was good meeting you, too kid." Riku smiled softly at the child as Cait Sith leapt from his arms and into the van.

"Well, what're we waiting for, Laddie?!" The feline inquired loudly, "Let's get this show on the road!"

Riku felt a sudden weight on his shoulder and turned his head to face Vincent, whose arm still had Yuffie attached to it, "Are you ready to go?" He inquired.

"Yeah, I-"

"WAIT!" Every head seemed to turn as Yazoo sprinted out of the bar, still wearing a buttercup yellow apron – with what appeared to be the Piyo Piyo duck splashed atop the front – and clutching something in his hands. The man stopped next to the car, pausing to take a breath before shoving a pie towards Riku, "Here." Panted the silver-tressed man, "I made this… so you wouldn't… get hungry."

"Um… thanks…?" Riku said slowly, accepting the pie as he blinked in slight confusion. Yazoo grinned sheepishly as Loz walked up beside him.

"Oi," Began the man. "Look out for Kadaj. He's bound to be out there somewhere."

"I'll be sure to." Riku nodded, his green and blue eyes narrowed in concentration.

"Come on! Come on!" Cait Sith cheered impatiently, bouncing up and down in the car, "We haven't got all day!"

"Well, I guess we'll be seeing you." Said Riku, looking to all the faces around him. "It's been nice meeting all of you."

"Same here." Nodded Cloud.

"Take care!" Tifa beamed.

"Uh-huh!" Marlene nodded in reply.

"Come home safely!" Yazoo said worriedly.

"Don't get killed." Loz suggested lazily. Everyone stared at him bizarrely for a moment before turning back to the van. Riku hopped into the gray vehicle and patiently waited for Vincent to follow suit. It appeared as if the red-clothed man was saying his final goodbye to Yuffie.

"Take care of yourself, okay?" The ninja suggested as she blinked tears from her eyes.

"I will." Vincent nodded, kissing her lightly.

"I'll miss you." Yuffie whispered as she buried her face into his chest.

"I'll miss you, too." Vincent agreed quietly, breaking away from her, he reached out with his human hand a wiped a tear from her cheek, "I have to go now."

"Okay." The dark-tressed girl nodded, closing her eyes as Vincent turned and climbed into the van behind Riku. The driver glanced at them through the rear-view mirror, blinking his dark eyes quietly.

"Where to?" He inquired.

"To Kalm." Vincent replied as Riku slouched into his seat and the car rumbled to life. There was a commotion from outside the van as it began to move foreword and Vincent turned in his seat, sighing and shaking his head slowly as Yuffie ran behind the vehicle in the same way a child would when they didn't want to be left behind. He waved slowly at her, his face expressionless as the van picked up speed and the ninja feel to her knees, shrieking after the vehicle before it rounded a corner.

"So, where exactly are we going?" Riku inquired, breaking a piece of crust off of the pie and casually munching on it.

"First we're driving to Kalm. There we'll meet Reeve, who may have some information for us, and we'll also stock up on supplies and rest there for the night. After that we'll head for the Chocobo Farm –" Vincent began to explain.

"A _what_ farm?" Riku asked quickly, obviously confused, "And why would we be going to a farm in the first place?"

"A Chocobo Farm." Said Vincent calmly, "Chocobo's are birds used for transportation. We're meeting Cid at the farm; we're catching a ride with him on his airship to North Corel where he's dropping off a shipment of chocobo eggs. From there, we'll take the chocobos to Nebelheim."

"Sounds like a long trip." Riku remarked as Cait Sith leapt onto his head.

"Yes, but it'll be worth it, right?" Vincent inquired, looking at Riku with calm, garnet orbs.

"Yeah." Riku agreed softly, his eyes traveling to the buildings soaring past the windows.

* * *

"Riku. Riku, wake up, we're here."

"Wakie, wakie, laddie! Its time to get a'movin!" Fuzzy paws grabbed Riku by the cheeks and he was violently kissed by something furry.

"What the fuck?!" Riku shot up from where he was sleeping, blinking green and blue eyes rapidly as his vision slid in and out of focus. Cait Sith peeled himself off from the floor of the car where Riku had knocked him over.

"Good lord, lad! No need for such language!" Cait Sith tutted, crossing his arms over his white chest. Riku glanced to Vincent, whom seemed to be smirking in amusement.

"Come on. I called ahead and booked us a room at the inn." Vincent explained softly as he climbed out of the car. Riku, still discombobulated, climbed out of the van and walked around to open the doors to the trunk were Cait Sith was holding up his yellow duffle bag for the teen to take. Riku plucked up the bag and slung it over his shoulder, the tuxedo cat still clinging to it. After checking in at the front desk, the trio climbed the narrow set of stairs and found their room. Vincent instantly found the remote lying on the bedside table and snapped on the television, flipping to the local news channel before lying down on the bed closest to the window. Cait Sith walked over to an outlet at the wall and removed the white tip of his tail, revealing a small plug, which he promptly stuck into the socket for charging.

"Um," Riku said slowly, running his hands through his hair, "I'm gonna take a shower real quick."

"Take your time." Said Vincent, the light of the images from the television flickering over his pale skin.

Throwing his duffle bag onto the other bed and removed a pair of sweatpants from it before heading into the bathroom. Once the water was heated up, Riku stepped in, letting the hot water soak his hair. Flecks of warmth fell down onto his body as silver tresses plastered themselves to his head.

_I wonder if I'll find her_. The teen thought quietly as he leaned against the wall of the shower, chills running down his spine as he touched the cold tile were the warmth of the water hadn't yet spread to. _I wonder if my family can be at least partially whole again._ Riku closed his eyes, his brow knitting in worry. _Kadaj… I hope you're still alive…

* * *

_

There was no way he could've survived.

The old-fashioned truck coasted down the dusty road, jumping in place as it went. The terrain around the vehicle was barren and dry, but inevitably dust worn and weary, with a multitude of hills and rocks in the path of the beaten tires. The air itself was dense and heavy, but at the same time, cool. They would be leaving the desert and be heading towards higher ground within the next few hours. The blue truck rolled over several larger rocks, causing Kadaj to shake in place. The young man pulled the patchwork blanket the couple had provided him tightly around his shoulders. It was more for support than anything, but the chill air wasn't the most pleasurable either. Not that he really felt any of it.

He sat in the bed of the truck as it rumbled along, his back pressed against the end of the cab, a semi-circular window just above his head. Beside him was a shotgun embossed with a dark cherry wood. _Jus' cock it and pull the trigger._ He had been instructed. A few ammo clips sat beside the weapon, 12 to a case, all piled haphazardly in a small bin. According to the small family, there had been an increase in creatures that lived in the surrounding area – guard hounds, mainly. Leaning against the side of the bed sat the couple's daughter. She appeared to be in her early teens with sparkling green eyes and tawny hair fashioned into braided pigtails. She looked at him with keen interest, occasionally snuggling the soft, pink baby chocobo that sat wrapped in a towel on her lap.

"Kinda odd ta jus' find a person like you out in the middle of nowhere." She commented, brushing a lock of hair from her face. "We didn't expect nobody to be out in Midgar like that, really. None too many people go out there an'more. Well, unless they lost someone too. We were jus' passin' through to pay our respects to my uncle – he lived there durin' Meteorfall and lost his life. Why were ya'll passed out in the street? That's kinda funny." She bit a pale rose lip expectantly, silently urging him on.

"No way… he could've…" Kadaj whispered to himself.

"What was that?" The girl leaned foreword, attempting to hear Kadaj better, concern setting in. But the young man didn't reply, tears were beginning to slide down his cheeks as he whispered to himself again and again.

"He's dead… Riku's dead…"

* * *

Riku normally would've been bitching about the ungodly hour he'd had to wake up that morning, but opted to keep quiet, knowing that it was important to get back on the road as soon as possible. Cait Sith was perched on Riku's shoulder, surprisingly quiet as the teen followed Vincent through the marketplace that made up the streets of Kalm. It was apparent that the man had been to the town before on several occasions, or merely just had a strong memory, for all of the buildings were near as uniform – tall, two stories, with stucco painted in a creamy color, planks of dark brown wood framing them and forming geometric patterns across the upper stories. And all throughout was the color blue. Blue and brown clay shingles on the roofs, blue-gray paved stone streets, even navy to cobalt canopies that shielded the venues and wares from the sun.

At present, the sky held a murky, swirling gray and rose tint, the rising sun just beyond view of the tall buildings as a new day began. The streets were cold and empty, the occasional person running out to sweep the porch, or collect the milk bottles at their steps. Shopkeepers emerged sporadically and had begun to set up shop, still weary eyed and haggard, yawning widely as they checked their tills. But the majority of the citizens were still sound asleep in their beds, not due to rise for the next few hours. The tall black streetlights were still lit, pinpricks of flames barely visible in the growing daylight. A few sparrows chirped their morning ditties, twirling in neat spirals around each other, scavenging a spare breadcrumb a child left behind on the cobblestone streets, or perch upon a rooftop. Riku absorbed the new sights in wonderment. Everything was so peaceful here, almost removed from the rest of the planet's on-goings.

"Is this where we're meeting Reeve?" He inquired as they turned a sharp corner into a small alley. Over the narrow path was a collection of multicolored tarps hung from the tops of the buildings to create shade for the small area, and underneath was a collection of tables and chairs made up of black iron. At each chair was a place setting with an array of flowers set in the center of each table, a small glass-incased candle sitting beside each vase. A small gazebo at either entrance to the alley worked to book parties. Riku's eyes glanced over the tables until he heard somebody shout.

"Vincent!" Reeve sat at a table with two chairs pulled up to it, situated next to a brick wall with vines and small violet flowers creeping up its side. The dark haired man raised a hand and smiled cheerily, as if to signal them over.

"Good morning." The commissioner greeted them politely as Riku pulled out a seat and sunk into it, Cait Sith bouncing across the table towards Reeve. The cat promptly knocked the man's coffee cup with his tail, and he quickly grabbed the mug, attempting to stop it from falling. As soon as the cup was upright, Reeve cleared his throat and looked to Vincent and Riku, "So, how was your drive?"

"Uneventful." Vincent answered in a nearly curt way. Riku shrugged in agreement.

"Good to know you weren't attacked." Reeve nodded, "We still have a bit of a problem with the creatures that live around here. I'm sure you'd recall, Vincent?" he added wryly.

"Hnmph." The other snorted, shaking his head ruefully.

"Good morning everyone!" A cheerful voice cut in. A young waitress walked up to the table, beaming at all of them in turn; Riku found it quite odd that she wasn't perturbed by a man with a claw for a hand and a cat sitting at the table, but quickly dismissed it. She was rather pretty, with light brunette tresses pulled messily back into a bun; wispy bangs trailing over green eyes. She flashed Riku a quick smile and straightened out her skirt – it was knee-length and brown with floral trim and blanketed by the short black apron she wore tied around her waist. The girl fished a notepad and a pen out from one of the black pockets, still smiling as if she was being forced to, "My name's Taisha, and I'll be your server this morn. Can I get you anything to drink?"

"I already have some coffee." Reeve said politely, gesturing towards his mug.

"No thank you." Vincent replied. Riku was beginning to get the impression that the red-clothed man didn't eat or drink that often.

"Um, I'll just have water." The teen said once the waitress' eyes fell on him.

"Okay! I'll be right back. Take your time deciding what to eat!" Beamed the waitress before she plodded off. Riku quickly turned to Reeve, his blue and green orbs sparkling with anticipation.

"Did you find Kadaj?" He inquired nervously, his hands scrunching the fabric of his black jeans as they balled into fists under the table. There was a dull tension gnawing at the pit of his stomach. He may not have known his elder brother very personally, but the fact was, he was still family. The first in a chain of missing and broken links to learning more about his past.

"No, I'm sorry." Reeve said quietly, and reached below his chair, pulling out a black briefcase. "But I did fine some information that you may find useful. I was checking into the family name 'Nonaka', and found a few things here and there. Records and the like. But I figured that you may want to have them, seeing as no one has been by to check any of the files out in over ten years now." He explained while he sorted through the contents of the briefcase. With a soft "Ah." he pulled out a large manila folder, holding it out to Riku, whom quickly took it. The first thing filed seemed to be a police report of some kind.

MISSING PERSON FILE #KQ665981 

**NAME: **_NONAKA, YUKIO_

**AGE: **_4_

**HEIGHT: **_3'2"_

**EYE COLOR: **_LIGHT BLUE_

**WAS LAST SEEN: **_NEBELHEIM SOLDER TRAINING FACILITY, MAY 25__TH_

**NOTES: **

-_SEARCH PARTIES HAVE BEEN CALLED OFF MAY 27__TH__ BY SHIN-RA. SUBJECT HAS BEEN ASSUMED DEAD._

Riku scoffed at the report, his face pulled into a sneer, "The only reason those bastards stopped searching for me is because they knew where I was." His fist tightened around the fabric of his jeans with more vigor. "The whole thing was a set up. They never really looked for me, I'd bet. Keh! What search party lasts only two days?!" His face softened as he set down the report, seeing the next one, "My poor mother…"

_Dear Miss Haruki Nonaka,_

_We are saddened deeply to inform you this regrettable information. On Tuesday November 2__nd__, your husband Sitoshi Nonaka was present during a terrorist bombing. Since his body was never recovered from the explosion, he is assumed dead. The last wagers he had earned will be sent to you as soon as possible. _

_Once more, we apologize for your loss and grieve alongside you._

_Sincerely,_

_Shin-Ra Electric Company _

"Bullshit…" Riku grumbled as he skimmed over the next paper, an eighth grade report card that belonged to Kadaj. The teen felt slightly comforted by his brother's grades. Perfect in Physical Education and English, failing miserably in everything else. The rest of the papers didn't contain any information on Riku, but more on his family: a marriage certificate for his parents, the remainder of Kadaj's school report cards, his and Kadaj's birth certificates, a contract for a house, records of weapons licenses, and finally his father's official SOLDER file. Within it were several detailed reports of missions that his father had been assigned, certificates of honor, more licensing, and lastly a picture clipped to a stack of legally binding documents portraying a lithe, handsome young man with wispy black bangs falling over icy blue orbs, Kadaj's slightly frightening grin playing across thin pale lips not unlike his own.

"Hey, Reeve." Said Riku softly as the man glanced up from his menu, blinking.

"Yes?" He inquired.

"Thanks." The teen whispered, putting the files back into the manila folder. As he did so, a small piece of paper fluttered out, landing on the table in front of Riku. His thinly drawn eyebrows knitted together a moment in curiosity as he scrapped it off the woolen tablecloth, and flipped it over to discover it was a photo. "Who is this?" He held the picture out to Reeve, whom took it and shrugged.

"I don't know. It was filed under 'Nonaka". I'd say it was one of your more distant relatives, but the date attached to it was too recent." The man handed the picture to Vincent, "Maybe you know who this is."

"I've never seen her." Said the red-clothed man, placing the photo in front of Riku once more. The teen frowned slightly, studying the picture more closely. It was of a raven-haired girl around his age, hazel eyes peering out from behind long bangs. She was dressed in a burgundy tank top with brown cargo pants and black combat boots, a small dagger strapped to their side. Her arms were folded over her chest, and she was giving a sort of smug, grim grin. Riku bit his lower lip in confusion and pocketed the picture along with his bracelet and the ring Cloud had given him.

* * *

"Tell me again how long it'll take us to get to the farms?" Riku asked, kicking a discarded water bottle as he walked beside Vincent.

"A few days. Two if we're lucky, but more than likely three." The raven tressed man informed him, keeping his gaze straight ahead. "We'll have to walk, so we should stock up on supplies while we're here and be sure to be properly equipped. By taking this route, we've avoided many of the monsters that have started cropping up all across the plains, but even at that, there are dangers in the wild that we wouldn't want to catch us off guard."

"I see." The teen nodded, readjusting Cait Sith as he started to slip out of his grasp. "So how long do we plan on staying here?"

"Only a short while longer. That meeting with Reeve took far longer than I expected. We need to get our things and check out of that hotel." Vincent replied, a note of tension tinting his usually calm baritone.

"Vincent?" Riku stopped, staring up at the other man seriously. "Are we being followed?" The tall man halted abruptly, garnet orbs blinking slowly, calculating his answer.

"I'm not sure, Riku. But I feel that something's amiss. Perhaps it's just paranoia, but…" he trailed off wearily, scanning the streets that had quickly sprung to life. The sun had rose much higher into the sky, heralding the midmorning. "Come on, we don't have any more time for idle conversation." The remainder of the walk was silent and hasty; Riku had to run on more than one occasion just to keep pace. The peculiar behavior that Vincent was suddenly exhibiting caused fear to gnaw at the corner of his mind, but he pushed it aside and focused on just keeping up so he wouldn't get lost in the twisty city streets.

"This is the difficult part." The cloaked man said as they stepped inside their room. "Paring things down. We'll be traveling on foot, so we need to pack light while still having the necessary articles."

"Well fuck." Riku sighed heavily, eyeing his yellow duffel. "I suppose a change of clothes are out of the question?"

"Relatively." Vincent chuckled softly, examining Cerberus.

"There better be a goddamn river along the way." The teen growled under his breath as he scavenged around for the pack of potions that Tifa had packed away for him. They came in a small, clear, hard-sided case – three per package, and two packages. Besides for this, he found his toiletries and a small box he'd never seen before. Curiously, he plucked the little chrome box from the bottom of the bag and placed it in the palm of his hand. Vincent peered over from his gun interestedly.

"What's that?"

"I dunno." Riku shrugged, removing the lid. He peered inside a moment, pulled away, and shot a questioning glance at his companion. "I _still_ don't know." With his thumb and forefinger, he carefully withdrew the glowing orb from its padded holdings and held it up to the light. A ray of sun struck its core, and radiant beams of distorted violet light danced over the tanned walls. Vincent's eyebrows shot up and he gave a small gasp.

"Materia?" he exclaimed in an inquiring tone.

"Is that what this is?" Riku queried as he examined the purple ball of swirling energy. "What exactly _is_ materia?"

"Materia is the crystallized energy of the Lifestream." Vincent replied in short. "Materia is categorized by the color. Each color performs differently."

"Performs?" Riku asked skeptically.

"Yes, performs. For instance, green materia is for magic, and red is for summons. You have purple materia, which is known as independent materia. It basically is a power boost to everything you have, as well as yourself."

"Didja know, laddie? Of the rumor that that there materia brings the owner luck? We'll hafta see 'bout that, eh laddie?" Cait Sith interjected energetically, bouncing up and down on the mattress.

"Is that so?" Riku pondered thoughtfully. "So how exactly do I use it?"

"Just pop it inta your weapon and there ya go!" the feline purred. The silver haired teen glanced at the luminous orb before calling The Way to the Dawn, black spirals of darkness quickly vaporizing in the morning light. He paused uncertainly, glancing between the objects in each hand before pushing the purple materia into the center of his Keyblade where it was decorated with a turquoise eye. To his surprise, there was no resistance as the orb melted into the metal with a soft hiss.

"Here's to hoping that it brings me luck." Riku sighed, dispelling his weapon.

"That was a nice thing for Tifa to give to you." Vincent noted.

"I'll be sure to thank her when we get back." Riku assured him as he wiggled out of his shirt.

"Don't lay it on too thick." A cocky grin started to appear on the man's thin lips. "Chances are she stole it from the box Cloud's hiding from Yuffie." The teen snorted and pulled out his favorite outfit from the duffel, kicking what remained in the yellow bag under his bed. It was the same clothing that he was given originally – another pair of black jeans, his black zip up tank top with a new silver X-shaped zipper pull, a triple layer stud belt, and a brown trench coat with three loose fastens across the chest. After a brief shower, he slipped these on, looking vainly for places to store his items.

"Take this." Vincent called, as a black mass came and hit Riku square in the chest. The teen gratefully strapped the pouch onto his belt so that it hung over his hip, strapping it to his leg.

"What about you?" he called; checking to make sure that everything was in order.

"I'm set." Vincent shrugged. Somehow the teen wasn't surprised.

"Cait Sith?" he asked jokingly.

"Aye aye, laddie!"

"Then I guess we better get to walking." Riku smiled, tendrils of hope swelling up inside him. Something just seemed to come over him as the sun beat through the window, painting buttery squares of light on the carpet. He felt soothed, cleansed. Something lay just beyond the horizon.

* * *

"I guess you better get used to walking." Vincent smirked.

"Ugh, shut up." The Keyblade wielder moaned, pulling his shoulder blades back towards each other. There was a sickening cracking sound and Riku sighed in slight satisfaction. "I'm sore in places I never thought could be sore." He laughed emptily. "And I'm fucking tired."

"I told you that it would be rough."

"I didn't actually think I was going to boot camp."

"Boot camp?" Vincent raised an elegant eyebrow.

"Eh, close enough. In any case, I didn't think we were walking nonstop for two days." Riku yawned. "I think I've had about six hours of sleep since we left Kalm. I don't know why, but I just can't seem to fall asleep even with as tired as I am."

"Insomnia?"

"I guess." Riku groaned. "Cait Sith, you coming?"

"Aye, laddie." The cat answered groggily. It had been a few days since his last charge, and he was winding down.

"We should be there within the next few hours." Vincent encouraged them. "We'll meet up with Cid and go. His airships are vast and accommodating, maybe then you can get some sleep." He thought for a moment. "And we can charge up the cat, so I bet you'd get Internet access." He bribed.

"Internet?" Riku perked up. He hadn't had been online after leaving Destiny Islands, and there were some definite drawbacks there. "That sounds wonderful." He smiled happily. If Vincent were the lighthearted type, he probably would have laughed at the dazed and dopey look on the teen's face. _Kids and technology_. The man sighed, shaking his head, leaving Riku to his thoughts.

_That feeling back in Kalm still hasn't left. I wonder what it could mean… after all, Kadaj is…_ He gulped. _And I never knew him. Not really. But still!_ He chewed on his bottom lip unconsciously, directing his attention elsewhere. _So a chocobo farm, huh? Large flightless fluffy birds. Giant chickens on steroids. This should be an adventure!_ Riku rolled his eyes at the _amazing_ amount of joy that seeped from the impending location. _Great, a smelly farm with oversized, multi-colored, amped chickens. … I wonder what they eat…

* * *

_

By noon, the sun was beating down on the three travelers. Riku wiped away the beads of perspiration gathered at his brow with the back of his hand. He had shrugged off his trench coat and slung it over his shoulder. He glanced wearily at Vincent. _How can he stand to wear all that in this temperature?!_

"I'm not affected by the heat or cold like you are." The man answered, smirking at the look of shock that crossed the silver tressed teen's face. The man would always be an enigma to everyone around him, and he knew it too.

"Look! Is that it?!" Riku suddenly exclaimed, pointing to a large field with a farmhouse square in the center surrounded by a wide veranda.

"Civilization!" Cait Sith cried victoriously, punching the air with gloved fists.

"More or less." Vincent agreed amusedly. He hardly considered a few country bums 'civilization'. "But yes, that is the chocobo farm." For as weary as Riku had been feeling for the larger part of the journey, he couldn't help but run down the hill they were situated atop. He stumbled towards the end where the land was steepest, and rolled a few yards, laughing maniacally as he reached the bottom. Within seconds, Cait Sith had plunged into his stomach and _mrrrowed_ in approval, high-fiving the teen. In a twirl of crimson, Vincent landed gracefully beside the two; Cait Sith sprawled out and kicking his back feet merrily, and Riku who had long blades of grass stuck in his messy silver tresses.

Riku chuckled and picked himself up, shaking the grass out of his hair, which managed to lay flat after every piece had fluttered back down to the field. Cait Sith sprang up and all but skipped for the next few yards, doing a front flip in the air occasionally with a cheer. They approached the house from the northern end, where the corrals where constructed. Riku peered interestedly at the large birds that strutted about the property, bright plumage obviously apparent against the rich green grass, amber hay, and pastel blue sky. "Chocobos, huh?" he said.

"That's not all." Vincent whispered, his whole body going rigid. Riku looked around wildly, a cold chill dousing his previously cheerful feelings. There was nothing but chocobos, grass, and sky. And then he saw what Vincent was talking about, laying a few feet from the house, sprawled out in the fields.

"That… that's not possible. … Is it?" Riku breathed.


	12. Avian

**Jenova's Children **

**By Kawaii and Junsui**

**Chapter 12**

**Avian**

If somebody had told you that the sweaty young man dressed in a pair of oversized, faded jeans and a dirty black tee-shirt laying belly-up in a field had once been a threat to the earth itself, you never would have believed them. Kadaj took a deep breath and squeezed his eyes shut, attempting to force out the sun that so ruthlessly beat down upon his body before he drew his arm across his forehead and sighed, his brow furrowing sadly.

So this was what it all came down to? Twelve-hour days of shoveling shit in the blazing sun on a chocobo ranch just for three meals and a barely decent bed. The young man silently wondered if that was going to be the rest of his life. Chances were, he'd probably end up marrying the farmer's young daughter, have a large family, and breed those God-awful birds until doomsday. And he'd forget all about Riku and his family.

Maybe this was what he got for being such a failure at life- this hell on Earth. It wasn't as if he didn't deserve it. All those people he killed… all the damage he caused… letting his brother down…

Suddenly, the sun beating down upon Kadaj's face was gone, relieving the pounding red beyond his closed eyes and soothing it to a dull pink. Either a chocobo was about to crap on him or he'd be caught slacking by the farmer.

"Kadaj?"

The silver-tressed young man's eyes snapped open, pupils sliding into small slits from the sudden change of light. Above him was Riku, the teenager's cat-like eyes glowing softly with shock; his head surrounded in a corona of aerate light. Kadaj heaved and angry sigh and shut his eyes.

"Go away Riku, you're dead." He demanded, pointing an accusing finger towards his younger brother, brows furrowed in anger.

"Nii-san… I thought YOU were dead." Riku said, dropping beside his elder brother. He propped Kadaj up as his cat-like orbs slid in and out of focus, "Kadaj? Are you okay?"

"No. I'm obviously hallucinating from the sun." Grumbled Kadaj as beads of sweat rolled down his face. Maybe Riku really _was _there… but… but Riku was dead… if he was with Riku, then that meant…

"K-Kadaj? Kadaj?!"

Kadaj released a heavy breath and slid into cool darkness.

* * *

"I'm sorry if he's caused any trouble." A smooth, dark voice said.

"No, not at all." Another said, "He's been perfectly helpful… bit of a depressing boy, though…"

"If he's anything like _him_-" Growled a third, gruff voice, "I wouldn't be thinking that he's been too helpful. Any chocobo get slaughtered out of the blue lately?"

"Cid! Quit comparing him to Sephiroth! He's different!" A younger voice snapped as a female one directly above Kadaj gasped in shock. This fourth, younger voice was familiar…

"Ri…ku?" Kadaj's lips moved slowly, the word weak and small.

"Oh! He's wakin' up!" The female voice said in slight shock, he felt the area below his head shift and supposed his head was lying on the girl's lap.

"Well don't just sit there!" The gruff voice snapped and there was a scraping noise from above.

"M-mister… what are you…?" The girl inquired slowly before she shrieked and Kadaj's head fell on hard wood as the girl leapt up. A kaleidoscope of blue and azure snapped open just in time to see a blonde man with goggles secured around his head turn a metal bucket upside down, and seconds later, Kadaj's head was immersed in icy water.

"HOLY FUCK!" The silver-tressed youth leapt up from the wooden bench he'd been resting on, shaking said silver tresses in a feral way, as if to rid of the water. He growled angrily, peering out at the blonde man from behind silver bangs plastered to his forehead with cold water before his arm shot out, grabbing Cid by the collar of his navy blue tee shirt, "Watch it, Jii-Jii." The young man growled, using the Japanese slang for 'Old Fart'.

"Well, you bounced back quick." Riku sniggered softly; Kadaj let go of Cid's shirt and wheeled around to face his younger brother, his eyes still wide.

"Otouto…" He grumbled softly, his brow furrowed slightly, "So… I wasn't…"

"Why did you leave?" Riku interrupted. Kadaj's cat-like eyes met his brothers and he bit his lip, turning away.

"I… I thought you were dead." Kadaj muttered in response, staring at the floor.

"Idiot." Riku growled, pressing his palm to his temple as he looked up at the ceiling, rubbing his hand as if to relieve the tension in his head. He let his hand drop, glaring at his older brother, "So you just ASSUMED I was dead?! You didn't even think to check!"

Kadaj stared at Riku in dull shock before nodding slowly and averting his gaze to the hay-covered floor once more.

"Just don't do it again." Kadaj's eyes snapped back up to Riku, whom was staring at him with soft, cat-like orbs. Kadaj grinned softly and reached out to embrace his little brother.

"Wait, Kadaj… you're all wet-" It was too late, and the elder boy embraced his brother, smirking sadistically.

"Don't call me an idiot, douji" Kadaj grinned as Riku squirmed in his wet embrace.

* * *

"So, what've you been doing out here for the past three days?" Riku inquired as he followed Kadaj through the muggy farmhouse that smelt faintly of musty dung. The elder boy shrugged as he kicked a small pile of hay out of his path and walked over to a pen that housed a green chocobo. The bird cried out softly to Kadaj, whom reached out to pet its beak, staring into its beetle black orbs. Riku chuckled and Kadaj shot a glare over his shoulder at his sibling.

"What?" He snapped.

"I never knew you liked animals so much." Riku said, a grin curling onto his lips.

"Keh!" Kadaj spat loudly, looking away from his brother quickly, but not so quick as to stop Riku from seeing the rosy hue that dusted his cheeks, "So what if I do?" He snapped, turning away from the chocobo and grabbing a small bucket off of the wall, he reached in and extracted a handful of orange berries, putting his palm out to the large, green bird, "Good boy, Day." Kadaj gave the animal an extra pat on the head before falling into a pile of hay at the foot of the pen, "Animals don't judge you. _That's_ why I like them so much."

A warm smile appeared on Riku's face before he sat down next to his brother, golden sunlight streaming in from a high, open window onto his face. Riku studied the specks of dust from the hay that floated in the light and snatched one out of the air.

"Make a wish." He whispered, pocketing the dust as the chocobo stuck its head down next to Kadaj and cooed lightly. Kadaj narrowed his eyes in concentration, petting the soft, green feathers on the bird.

"I wished. Let it go."

Riku opened his fingers, and moments later, the dust floated out of them. The brothers followed the tiny speck as it floated through the aerate sunshine and eventually became lost with all the others.

"What did you wish?" Riku inquired softly as they sat in the warm sunlight. Kadaj closed his eyes.

"Hmph." He said lightly, brushing a stray lock of silver hair from his face, "I can't tell you, or it won't come true."

"Oh?" The younger brother turned to his sibling, his eyes half-lidded so that spheres of golden light rested on his silver lashes and danced in his eyes.

Kadaj was silent. Riku shrugged and reached up to scratch Day the chocobo on the head.

"I wished we could see our mother again." Kadaj finally spoke up. Riku looked to him, his slight cheer melting.

"I see." Said the silver-tressed youth softly, looking down at his feet. There was a slight pause in their conversation. The only thing that could be heard was the soft cooing on the chocobos and the chirp of crickets as they came alive in the twilight, "Tell me about Okaa-san."

Kadaj flopped over to his side, twisting so that he could lye on his back. Silver tresses that he yearned to be raven once again fell over his once-hazel eyes, now a kaleidoscope of green and blue, "Haha-ue was very kind and she loved us so much." He began softly, blinking his eyes slowly, "After you disappeared and Tou-san died, she showed me a different side. She was a very, very strong woman. She didn't hide the fact she was grieving from me, but we grieved together, but never in sadness- in hope. That's what made Haha-ue special. She told me not to be sad because you were both in a better place where you never had to feel pain again and that you wouldn't want us to be sad. Not only that, but she started her own business from scratch to support us. She would stay up as late as she could selling fruit on the streets… once I saw her take down a guy trying to mug her with her own bare hands."

Riku chuckled to himself as the image of a young woman throwing a giant man over her head popped up in his mind's eye.

"She had fire, Haha-ue." Kadaj flicked his green and blue orbs to Riku, "Fire that still burns on in you."

Riku closed his eyes, trying to call up an image of the woman in his mind… that dream he'd had not long ago… a woman with raven hair and hazel-

The teen's blue and green orbs shot open, his pupils shrinking to slits as his hand shot to his pocket and he unearthed the picture of the young girl in combat boots.

"What's that?" Kadaj inquired, sitting up from the ground. A piece of straw stuck out awkwardly from his hair and Riku quickly brushed it away, holding the picture out for his elder brother to see.

"Reeve- a friend of Vincent- he found this picture under our family name. I don't know who this girl is, but-" Riku began to explain, but Kadaj snatched the picture in a heartbeat, his own eyes wide.

"This is her." He said breathlessly, "I remember. We had this picture on Dad's old desk! This is her!"

"It is?" Riku gasped, his eyes darting to the picture. He reached out to touch the young woman's face on the glossy paper. He noticed that her features were similar to his: a round face, messy hair that fell over her eyes, a ski-slope nose. Kadaj sniggered and Riku glanced to him.

"What?" He asked. His elder brother held the picture out next to Riku's face and smirked sadistically.

"If your hair was still black," Kadaj began, "You'd look like a male version of her." He quickly placed the photo on Riku's lap, "Not that there's much difference."

"WHAT?" Riku growled, his eyes wide with anger, "What's that supposed to mean?!"

"It means, dear brother, that if you were a bit more curvy-" Kadaj began with that cruel smirk of his. Riku's eyes flashed with malice as a grin spread on his face as well.

"Same goes for you Ka-Da-Chuu!" Riku taunted, feminizing his bother's name.

"NONI?!" Kadaj yelled loudly, his eyes growing in shock, "That's _it_!" He promptly pounced on his younger brother, pulling him into a half nelson on the hay-covered ground. All around them, the chocobos squawked loudly from the commotion and the last traces of the rich, golden sun died from the barn.

* * *

"Thank you for your hospitality." Vincent bowed politely to the small family that owned the chocobo farm. Riku and Kadaj stood nearby, each leaning against the fence of a pen that held a bushel of bright-colored birds.

"Its no trouble at all, sir." The farmer assured the red-clothed man with a smile. Riku rolled his eyes, knowing that Vincent had paid extra for the chocobos they were taking as well for the stay, "You take your time picking out your chocobos; you can have any of 'em. I'm sure my daughter can help you pick out the best of 'em, Emi?"

The young, tawny-tressed teenager poked her head out from behind her father and nodded, a pink hue tinting her cheeks before she stepped towards Vincent, stammering and blushing.

Riku and Kadaj exchanged looks before she lead them into the barn. "Um," Emi began nervously, her eyes darting around the barn, "All of 'em in here are pretty good. Take your pick. Onii-san," Her eyes landed on Kadaj, "You know which ones are good, too… um…" Her eyes darted to Vincent and she blushed deeper, "I-I'll 'jus letcha pick." Vincent promptly stalked off and Emi seemed to relax a little; however, she did fidget a bit when Riku smiled warmly at her.

"Keh." Kadaj grinned sadistically and sauntered over to the young teen. Emi squeaked and backed up into a wall, Kadaj put one hand above her head on said wall and leaned towards her, "What's the matter, douji?" He inquired huskily, "Never been surrounded by older men before?"

"Nii-san." Riku snapped irritably as he led a blue chocobo with white tips out of its pen, "Lay off of her."

Emi gave Riku a look that screamed, 'THANK YOU' before she slipped under Kadaj's arm and scrambled away.

"Hmph. I'd lay to lay _on_ her, if you want my opinion." Kadaj smirking licking the upper corner of his mouth before Riku punched him in the arm.

"You letch." He grumbled, tugging on the reigns of the chocobo. Kadaj made a face.

"First off, I was joking. Second off, _**I**_ was gonna take October!" The elder boy growled, pointing towards the chocobo Riku had.

"Too bad, so sad." Riku smirked triumphantly.

"Fine then, I'll just take-" Kadaj began, and then his face showed sheer defeat, "Sabbath."

Obviously, Vincent was leading the chocobo named Sabbath from its pen. It was an elegant creature with glossy black feathers and red eyes, its pale beak sharp and dangerous looking. Riku had been thinking about how ridiculous Vincent would look on a brightly colored chocobo, but this raven-like bird seemed to suit him perfectly.

"Are you ready to go?" He inquired the silver-tressed siblings. Riku glanced over his shoulder at Kadaj, sticking his tongue out at him.

"Shit!" Kadaj swore, stomping his foot like a child, "What other chocobo can I take?!"

"Well," The three of them looked to Emi as she rounded a corner, smiling innocently, "You can always take Floyd."

Kadaj's eyes grew wide, his pupils tiny slits, "No… No, no, no… No, no, no, no, no, no, no!"

"He's the last one left, unless you want a slow, fat one or an untrained one." Emi beamed, leading the bright pink chocobo out from its pen. Kadaj made a noise as if to say something, but merely growled angrily in defeat. Riku suppressed laughter as Emi glanced up and winked at him, he had a feeling that there were a lot of other trained chocobos there.

Payback was, indeed, a bitch.

"Hey ya three! We ain't got all day!" Cid growled in his gruff voice as he stood in the doorway of the barn, resting up against the doorframe.

"Yeah, yeah, Jii-Jii, we're coming." Kadaj growled, seizing Floyd's reigns before he stormed out of the barn.

"Goodbye, and thank you." Vincent bowed his head politely towards Emi, whom beamed and bowed in reply, a bright red blush covering her face.

"See ya." Riku grinned, pecking the girl on the cheek. Emi giggled, clapping her hands over her cheeks before Riku walked out of the barn.

The silver-tressed youth followed Kadaj (whom was still loudly muttering darkly about Floyd) across the large field towards a giant airship nestled within a small valley. It was larger than any Gummi ship Riku had seen, at least three times as long and twice as wide. There was little doubt that it was a custom built model of airship; a shining silver body with elegant red cursive lettering on the side which read "Helena". The helm was entirely glass, with glass pieces running lengthways along the body, edged with a copper colored metal. There appeared to be at least two levels to the craft, with a whole other area for cargo and the engines. A temporary staircase had been set up as a docking station to the belly of the automobile, and a smaller ramp led to the dock into the back of the plane.

Once inside, Cid pulled a large lever, closing the hatch that lead to the storage area where the chocobo eggs were kept along with October, Sabbath, and Floyd. Dusting his hands off, the blonde gestured towards the trio and they began to follow him. Riku walked a few paces and stopped, glancing over his shoulder. Vincent stood behind him, still as a statue, staring with unblinking garnet orbs at the recently closed hatch.

"Everything okay?" The teen inquired. Vincent turned his head towards him.

"I just thought I saw something." The man said in his dark voice and the two started towards the staircase that had recently descended from the cockpit of the airship.

* * *

The flight took about twelve hours and was relatively uneventful. Kadaj and Riku attempted to start conversations with Cid, but the man refused to talk about anything other than the mechanics of airships. Vincent hardly said anything, and took to reading his Marquis de Sade book instead. Riku explained to his elder brother what was in the book, and Kadaj instantly set out to steal it. After several failed attempts and receiving a large lump on the head, Kadaj eventually retired to playing card games with Riku.

"I. De. Clare. WAR!" The fourth card on either side of the playing field was flipped over. Kadaj swore vehemently and grumpily gathered the cards as Riku smirked in triumph.

"You bastard. You cheated, didn't you?" Kadaj growled at his brother, sending optic death rays at him from behind the sheet of silver tresses that fell over his eyes.

"You can't cheat at War, Kadaj. Its just a game of… luck!" Riku plucked a card out from the pile that had formed at Kadaj's hand and flipped it over towards his brother. The ace of hearts.

"Lying little shit!" Kadaj growled, and pounced on his little brother, yanking at his silver tresses mirthlessly.

"OW! Fuck, Kadaj!" Riku struggled against his elder brother, but Kadaj didn't let go of the clump of silver tresses he had in his hand.

"Admit it! You cheated!" The elder boy sneered, yanking Riku's hair. The younger brother howled in agony and glared at Kadaj.

"FINE! I cheated! Happy?" Riku admitted. Kadaj let go of his hair and Riku rubbed the sore spot on his head, but not before Kadaj seized a handful of his hair once more and yanked it harder than ever.

"You cheating little asshole!" The elder boy growled as Riku struggled and argued loudly.

"This is why I'm glad I don't have any siblings." Vincent said as he glanced over the cover of Marquis de Sade at the two boys fighting on the floor.

"Damn straight." Cid agreed with a small nod as he hit a few controls, "Quit 'yer roughhousin' and get ready ya damn kids- we're landing." The blonde called over his shoulder at the two boys.

"Fuckin' little cheat…" Kadaj grumbled darkly, finally releasing Riku's hair as they walked over to strap into their seats.

"Preparing for landing!" A heavily accented voice cried, and Cait Sith sprang forth from the back, the cat bounding up to Riku and landing on his lap. Kadaj eyed the cat from his seat and reached out to briefly scratch it behind the ear.

"Were the chocobos well behaved?" Riku inquired to the small droid, whom nodded proudly.

"Very much so!" Cait Sith replied as the ship lurched and began its descent.

The large aircraft landed in a vacant field full of dry brush, which flew out in a circle below the airship before it settled onto the ground, nestling into the tawny grass like an oversized bird. People from the small houses on the outskirts of the town flocked to watch in awe as the gargantuan machine settled and expelled one last, soft roar before it silenced. The crowd tensed as they waited in anticipation for the passengers to exit the airship. The hatch that lead from storage hissed and the every person hushed, wondering who would come out of such an extravagant machine. Would it be a band of rogue heroes attempting to stop the destruction of the world? A trio of young women whom would burst into song upon exiting the ship? A band of royals from another planet here to make them all rich?

Slowly, the hatch began to rise and the townsfolk stared wide-eyed at a silver-tressed teen seated upon a bright pink chocobo.

Kadaj's eyebrow ticked and he squeezed Floyd's reigns before sending an optic death ray towards the entire crowd, "Who did you expect?! The pope!?" The pink chocobo he was riding squawked loudly and flapped its wings before the people in the crowd began to drift back towards their homes.

Something black tipped with red jumped from the storage sector of the airship and Sabbath, the raven chocobo, landed gracefully on the ground, its beetle black orbs sparking lightly as it clicked softly.

Riku starred in awe at Vincent as he rode his own chocobo off of the loading ramp. He had expected any person to look ridiculous on a chocobo; but somehow, Vincent had managed to make it look awesome.

"We should get going, it's only a five minute ride into North Coral, but we're supposed to meet Barret for dinner in ten, and we should hurry if we want to be there on time." Vincent explained to the two silver-tressed teens. Riku nodded earnestly, while Kadaj spat into the brush beside him. Vincent lightly kicked the sides of the black chocobo with his heels and the creature was off. Kadaj followed suit almost instantly, whilst Riku called thanks back to Cid as Cait Sith latched onto the silver-haired teen's shoulder.

"'Les get goin', Laddie! We don' wanna be left behind!" The small cat urged Riku, and within seconds, he was off.

Riku was surprised by the chocobo's speed and agility. It seemed to travel considerably faster than a car, with the added fact that traffic was no obstacle. The creature leapt over small rocks embedded in the brush and hunched over close to the ground to gain speed. Riku buried his face in the light blue feathers of the chocobo October, which were considerably soft and fluffy, and caused him to sneeze several times.

Several minutes later, Vincent (whom was at the head of the group and leading the way) pulled on the reigns of Sabbath and slowed the black chocobo to a halt, Kadaj quickly slowed Floyd, while Riku and Cait Sith on October paused behind them.

"We'll walk from here." Vincent instructed in his dark voice, leaping from the large bird and beginning to lead it by the reigns. Riku slowly climbed off of October, sniggering under his breath as Kadaj struggled to dismount his own chocobo, whom was bucking and squawking hysterically. After swearing a blue streak, the elder teen peeled himself from the ground, brushing dirt from his black t-shirt.

"You say _one_ word and _I will fuck you over_." He snarled towards his younger brother, snatching Floyd's reigns and tugging on them violently. The pink bird gave an angry cry and pecked Kadaj on the back of the head. Kadaj swore loudly and spun around to flip the bird- literally. Floyd snapped its beak at Kadaj's middle finger before they continued into North Coral.

"Where are we meeting this Barret guy?" Riku inquired as he pulled October along the narrow streets.

"Don't worry, we'll find him." Vincent explained calmly, "He said he's meet us somewhere around here and he's not exactly the type of person you'd mi-"

"VINNIE!!!"

Unfortunately, Vincent was never able to finish his statement, as he was cut off by a screaming ninja that dropped from the heavens and into a flying embrace. Vincent caught Yuffie and spun her around- not to be romantic, but to simply continue the momentum of her jump and not be crushed to the ground. Though he intended to set her down, the female ninja clung to him as if her life depended on it, nuzzling into his chest affectionately.

"Vinnie!" Yuffie cooed, batting her chocolate brown orbs affectionately, "I missed you so much!"

"Yuffie…" Vincent said, his voice that was usually so hard to track emotions through had a slight edge of frustration to it, "What are you doing here?"

"I've been following you since you were in Kalm, silly!" The girl grinned, finally dropping to the ground, "I thought you'd notice, especially when Cait Sith caught me in the storage of the airship."

Vincent's garnet orbs shot to the small android. Any human being would have withered under his hellish optic death ray, but seeing as the cat was not even organic, it merely shrugged.

"You tol' me too look after the birds, not the Lassies!" The tuxedo cat said nonchalantly. Vincent's glare turned from optic death ray into a 'you-are-so-fucked-the-second-I-get-you-alone-you-motherfucking-cat' glare.

"Woo…" Yuffie suddenly grasped Vincent shoulder as she teetered in place, "I shouldn't have jumped from so high right after I got off an airship… those things always make me si-"

Too late. Yuffie heaved up her guts all over the ground, Riku and Kadaj watching in silent horror. Vincent expelled an exasperated sigh and rubbed Yuffie's back as tremors racked her body and she finally ceased vomiting, gasping for air before wiping bile off of her mouth with her lower arm.

"You know, you could've found a trashcan or something…" Kadaj muttered, his eyes still wide with shock. Yuffie feebly flipped him off before Vincent scooped her up into his arms and she threw her arms around his neck.

"You are just like a child, you know that?" Vincent inquired. _You are so dead._ Read his eyes.

"I love you." Yuffie cooed in her sweetest tone of voice, pecking him on the cheek.

"Well, if it isn't old Vincent Valentine and little Yuffie?" A loud voice boomed.

"Hi Barret!" Yuffie chirped as Kadaj and Riku slowly turned. If they had been in shock before, it was a surprise that the two of them didn't just turn into stone right then and there. A tall, dark man with a thick beard and hair pulled back into cornrows. He took a massive, metallic hand and clapped it onto Vincent's shoulder.

"I had a feeling you'd be taking her to bed one of these days. Good for you!" Barret grinned before removing his hand and playfully nudging Vincent in the side with his elbow. Yuffie giggled and blushed, while Vincent cleared his throat; however, Riku was sure he saw just the slightest bit of scarlet cross the man's face.

"'An these must be the kid you were tellin' me about!" Barret beamed, turning to Riku and Kadaj. His grin quickly faded as soon as he caught Kadaj's sulky expression and he wheeled around to face Vincent, "What the fuck kinda joke is this?!" He boomed so loudly that Riku almost had to cover his ears, "Why the hell should we help this little motherf-"

"Riku's the one seeking our assistance. He's the younger one." Vincent explained calmly, "Kadaj is his brother."

"Bullshit!" Barret cried, pointing an accusing finger towards Kadaj, whom scowled darkly, "All this little fuck wants is revenge for that rat bastard _Sephiroth_." The tall, dark man spat the name with such distain that Riku could feel the hatred radiating off of it, and he shrunk backwards, fearing the wrath Barret, whom could easily snap him in two if he found out whom _he_ was, "I ain't helping fuckin' _no one_ even remotely associated with that dried up piece of sh-"

"Barret." Vincent's voice was still as calm as ever, his eyes serene pools of garnet, "Do you honestly think I'd bring them here if I wasn't sure we were on the same side?"

Barret bit his lip and squeezed his hands so tightly into fists that Riku could hear the knuckles on his human hand pop loudly.

"Fuck it, _fine_." The man growled, "But only 'coz I'm in a good mood today." He stared down at Kadaj menacingly with stormy eyes. The silver-tressed teen remained calm.

Riku almost fainted.

* * *

"So tell me how Marlene's doin'." Riku stared out of the window of the small house built on the oil field property, watching the still silhouettes of the oil pumps in the silvery moonlight.

"She's really good." Yuffie said as she cut herself a seventh slice of bread and stuffed it in her mouth. Vincent promptly removed it and set it down on the other side of the plate, scooting the bread away from her as she feebly reached for more. The ninja huffed and continued, "From what I heard from Tifa, she's doing wonderful in school and is making a lot of new friends-"  
Riku tuned out Yuffie's chattering, pressing his shoulder up against the window from the plush window seat where he was perched. He yearned for the ivory moon's reflection in the lucid water surrounding Destiny Islands and the constant playfully bickering of Sora and Kairi to lull him into complete calm. He missed Selphie droning on about how he'd find true love one day and not to be jealous of his friends, he missed Wakka jabbering about blizball, and hell, he even missed whiny Tidus.

But… for some reason, this was all oddly comforting to him as well. Kadaj and Barrett darkly demanding to pass some sort of food to one another, Yuffie whining to Vincent about giving her bread, and the bizarre whirrs and humming that came from Cait Sith as he attempted to hook up to the internet. If he was back at the bar, he'd be soothed by the clinking of glasses and Tifa shouting out orders and such to Yazoo, Kadaj complaining about life in general, Loz and Marlene talking about the latest television show, and Denzel bragging about Cloud to… Cloud.

These were all things he was now accustomed to. Things that made him feel warm and at home. But… where did his heart lye? If he found his birthmother, would he stay here with her, in Gaia, or would he return to his own world, where Destiny Islands resided, to his old life and his old friends? To his lie?

There it was again, the dull pounding at the base of his eyes. Riku wiped away the small bit of moisture that mad began to accumulate in his eyes with the sleeve of his coat and let his head fall again the window, the cool glass soothing his frustrated thoughts.

Suddenly, something was shoved into his hand. Riku blinked and looked at the whine glass he now held, "Amaretto." Vincent answered in one word, "Mixed with milk. It doesn't sound too appetizing, but trust me, it pays off." He then stalked back to the table, leaving Riku to swirl the milky drink around in the glass and take a sip. The milk gave it a sweet edge, but the first thing to hit his mouth was the bitter alcohol and then the tang of the almonds. Riku drew his tongue across his lips and took a larger sip of the drink, blinking at it with curious blue-green eyes.

An hour later, Riku didn't have a care in the world.

Everything was a spinning mess and it seemed that the two worlds dancing around each other weren't going to stop and settle into one image any time soon.

"Hey… h-_ey_, Kadasch…" Riku staggered up to his elder brother and grasped his shoulder, "What-what did the elephant say to the tooth fairy in the bar?"

Kadaj blinked and helped to steady Riku as he swayed in place, leaning up against his elder brother.

"Riku, you're drunk." Kadaj sighed grumpily.

"No…! _No_…! Lishen, Kadasch! They- the elephant said- you forgot your pantsch!" Riku doubled over in laughter, forcing Kadaj to grab him around the middle and prop him up.

"Let's get you some medicine so you don't get a hangover…" Kadaj muttered, beginning to drag his younger sibling towards the bedroom, however, Riku pushed all his weight on Kadaj, nearly causing the both of them to go tumbling down. The elder boy sighed with frustration and got down on his knees, his face dusted in a rosy hue, "Hop on, I'll carry you up."

"YAY!" Riku cried, and nearly smashed Kadaj to the ground as he hopped onto his brother's back. Kadaj grunted with effort and began the long trek towards the bedroom, "Wooooah… Nii-shan… you can shee the whoooole world from up here… heheh… ishn't that neaaaaaat?"

"Wonderful, Riku." Kadaj snorted sarcastically, his breath heaving, "Just fuckin' peachy…" Suddenly, the younger teen began to slip, laughing loudly.

"Kadasch-nii-shan! I'm falling! Like in… in… that one movie!" Kadaj re-adjusted his brother and continued to carry him towards the room.

"Jesus Jenova…" The silver-tressed teen growled, said silver tresses spilling over narrowed blue-green orbs, "You're freaking heavy… what have you been eating?"

"Bananash and… uhh… chicken an'- an' I had a looooooot of amaretto." The teen numbered off drunkenly as Kadaj kicked open the door.

"Apparently." Kadaj grumbled darkly, a vein throbbing at his temple as he deposited his brother on the bed, however, Riku held onto him and took Kadaj down with him, the elder boy expelling an angry cry.

"Riku! Come on, let go! This isn't-" Kadaj protested as Riku held onto him tightly.

"Hey, Nii-shan… guess what?" Riku inquired softly. Kadaj ceased struggling and finally submitted.

"What?" He grumbled darkly. Riku grinned contently.

"I love you." He whispered, and drifted off to sleep. Kadaj expelled a final sigh and reached up to pat his drunken, sleeping brother on the head.


	13. Exodus

**Jenova's Children **

**By Kawaii and Junsui**

**Author's Note:** Kawaii-Chan here! God, its been awhile since I've left an Author's Note on here, hasn't it? Sorry for the long breaks in-between updates. Junsui-Chan has been away camping and we've both been very busy. We hope to come out with the fourteenth chapter in the near future, but you never know with us, do you? Aheh... anywho, some background of Loz and Yazoo in this chapter! We felt like they were being neglected, so here they are! Enjoy chapter thirteen of Jenova's Children!!

**Chapter 13**

**Exodus**

The aerate sunlight had never bore down on Riku's sensitive eyelids with such pounding, brutal force that it caused him to see throbbing scarlet even when his eyes were screwed tightly shut. His head pounded in tempo with the sun and Riku flopped over to bury his face in something soft and warm. There was a distinct mumble from above him and strong arms wrapped around him, pulling him near.

'_Wait…_' Riku thought slowly, '_WHAT?!_'

The silver-tressed teen shot up so suddenly that it caused his head to spin and he fell back down on Kadaj's chest. His elder brother grunted and jumped awake.

"Wuzgoinon?" Kadaj looked around sleepily, silver hair spilling messily over his cat-like eyes as he blinked and spotted Riku, whom looked like a deer caught in the headlights, "Oh, Otouto, you're awake."

"What-?" Riku grasped his aching head, shying away from the sunlight that streamed in from the window, "What happened?"

"You got drunk and passed out on me." Kadaj explained nonchalantly, shrugging Riku off of him before he climbed out of bed, attempting to smooth the wrinkles in his black t-shirt, "You probably got one bitch of a hangover there; I'll get you some water." Riku buried his face into a soft pillow and nodded as Kadaj left the room, immersing himself in the silence as his headache slightly began to fade, and then-

"WAKIE WAKIE TIME, RIKU!" The bed suddenly shifted as the shrill voice floated into Riku's ears, his headache becoming a stabbing pain, "The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and we're starting our great migration to Nebelheim to find your Okaa-San!"

"Nee-san…" Riku growled, his eyes dark slits that glared out from behind silver tresses that shaded the upper half of his face dangerously, "I swear to God, I am going to kill you one of these days."

"Awe, but don't you love me, Riku?" The short-tressed young woman quipped innocently, laying down on the bed beside Riku and cuddling up to him affectionately.

"No." He grunted, and embedded his face in his pillow once more. The ninja huffed, climbed onto the floor and grabbed Riku's legs, yanking him off of the bed in one fluid motion. Riku fell onto the floor with a loud _**THUD**_, and his pounding head was suddenly forgotten as he snarled and pounced on Yuffie, pinning her to the floor, "Go fuck yourself." He growled, put quite out of character by his pure anger.

"But that's Vinnie's job!" The dark-tressed girl beamed, and Riku blanched, opening his mouth to say 'TMI', but he never got there, having been cut off by someone clearing their throat.

"I'm glad you still feel that way, Yuffie." Vincent said calmly, though he obviously knew nothing was going on by the way his garnet orbs seemed to smirk at the two. Riku blinked and realized the suggestive position he had put the ninja in, sputtering loudly.

"I- she- we-!" He struggled to find words as the small woman slipped out from under him and plodded up to Vincent, throwing her arms around him.

"Awe, Vinnie! You know I love you!" She cooed, nuzzling into his cheek affectionately; Vincent nodded and directed his attention towards Riku.

"Are you feeling well?" He inquired, noting the teen's rumpled clothing from the night before.

Riku's head hit the hardwood floor as he curled up into the fetal position, "Make the sun go away…" He moaned childishly.

"I'll take that as a no." Vincent sighed, raising his human hand to rub his temple.

"Riku has a H-A-N-G-O-V-E-R! Hangover, hangover!" Yuffie teased, leaping about the room merrily. The silver-tressed teen raised a middle finger in reply as Kadaj pushed past Vincent into the room with a glass of water and a handful of Vitamin B.

"Sit up." He directed firmly, sitting down onto the floor next to his younger brother, promptly rolling him over, propping him up, and popping the vitamins into Riku's mouth before the younger teen could realize what was going on. "Drink." Kadaj pressed the glass of water to Riku's mouth and he gratefully chugged several gulps, never realizing how thirsty he'd been before.

"Wow, you take orders well!" Yuffie commented, plopping down next to the two brothers, "Any girl whose pants you get into is gonna be luck-y!"

Riku spat water everywhere. Vincent chuckled and stalked off.

* * *

High in the rafters of the church in Midgar that lay in ruins, an ebony wing stretched out, trembled, and fell limp, folding neatly behind the dark figure it belonged to. Sephiroth smirked lightly, his cat-like orbs flitting about the area where the church had once stood tall and proud and coming to rest on the pink-clothed figure at the edge of the water.

Green irises slowly rose to meet his that were a cold sea of cobalt blue and green; she gave him a disapproving look, her brow knitting in anger.

"You're not welcome here." She said firmly, entwining her fingers before her and placing them before her knees.

"I do as I please, little girl." Sephiroth stated as he leapt from the rafters and landed gracefully on the floor, reaching out to caress the cheek of the spirit girl. Aerith pushed his hand away, disgusted.

"Leave this place." She whispered coldly, her emerald orbs narrowed into slits, "You've done enough damage here already, can't you see that?"

"As I said, little girl, I do as I please." The silver-tressed man leered at the brunette, "And I'm not finished here, I doubt I never shall be. You'll be hearing more from me, little girl. For my presence shall remain and this reprieve shall not be eternal." And with that, he evanesced into dark smoke, a single obsidian feather fluttering slowly to the ground.

Aerith's emerald orbs misted slightly with worry as she chewed on her lower lip.

"Please, Riku…" She whispered to herself, "We're all counting on you…"  
And with that, she became thousands of beautiful green beads of water, which soared gracefully into the nearby body of water, settling briefly.

* * *

"Are you sure you have everything you need?" Barret inquired, hoisting Yuffie up onto the back of Sabbath. The chocobo clicked softly and ruffed its wings, tossing its head as if to wake itself up. Yuffie cradled a cup of hot cocoa to her chest, pulling Vincent's cape tighter around her to protect her from the early morning chill, whilst Riku raised the collar of his brown trench coat, burying his pounding head into October's pale blue feathers, Cait Sith attempting to warm himself up, stored neatly in one of the coat's large pockets. Nearby, Kadaj sat upon his neon chocobo and shivered jealously.

"Yes." Vincent nodded; looking oddly different without his cape, Riku would've wondered if he was cold if it wasn't for the heavy, black body amour that he wore underneath, "Cloud and Tifa expect you back in Edge shortly- they adore Marlene, but seeing as you _are_ her father, and you _have_ been promising to return shortly for the past several months-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." The dark man grumbled, waving away the worries with a silver hand, "As long as Marlene's happy, then I'm happy. Y'all enjoy your trip, hear that?"

"Thank you so much for your hospitality, Sir." Riku said, his voice weak with a slight groan to it. He addressed Barret so formally, as he was still deathly frightened of him, "It means a lot to us."

"You're all very welcome." The man folded his arms over his chest, beaming at the small group- until his eyes came to rest on Kadaj, who had his arms wrapped tightly around him and was shivering violently, "Accept for you." Barret scowled.

Kadaj muttered something along the lines of "Fuck You", but his teeth were chattering too violently for him to be understood properly.

"I suppose we should be- Yuffie, what are you doing?" Vincent cut of in mid-sentence, turning gracefully towards his fiancé, whom was reaching around the neck of her chocobo, attempting to press the hot chocolate to its beak.

"What?" The dark-haired ninja blinked innocently, "It looked hungry!"

"You're not supposed to feed a chocobo hot chocolate, Yuffie…" Vincent grumbled, warming his temple with his human hand, "It could get sick."

"But it was like those cute little eyes were saying: 'Give me food, Yuffie! Don't you love me?'!" Yuffie cooed in a mock baby-voice. Riku caught Vincent's right eye briefly twitch.

"We should be going." Riku interjected quickly, "Once again, thank you."

"Ya'll be careful!" Barret cried after the quartet as they began their southern trek, "Accept for you, I hope you die!" He snarled, pointing a threatening silver finger towards Kadaj.

* * *

The day's journey was uneventful, consisting of Yuffie chattering about something-or-another she'd seen on TV, Kadaj complaining loudly about his lack of a coat, and Riku telling them all to shut up as he clutched desperately at his pounding head whilst Vincent lead the way.

And when the silver-tressed teen woke up the next morning, cocooned in a blue sleeping bag settled below a large tree, his head no longer pounding, crisp, scarlet leaves kissed with morning dew fluttering down onto him, he supposed that it would be a much better day.

That is, until he heard a horrified scream and Kadaj came sprinting back to their campsite, dressed in only a pair of jeans, wielding a toothbrush, "JESUS CHRIST!" He howled, dodging behind a tree. Riku sat up, discombobulated and slightly frustrated that he hadn't been able to enjoying the crisp fall air. He was about to yell at Kadaj for disturbing his peaceful awakening, but was interrupted by a strangled, slurred noise as a bizarre, black creature slightly reminiscent of a chocobo walked, pigeon-toed and waddle stepping towards them.

"What the hell is THAT?!" Riku yelled, summoning his Keyblade in a lucid streak as he scrambled from his sleeping bag.

"I. DON'T. KNOW." Kadaj cried, looking absolutely horrified, "I was digging through my pack and I thought I heard Yuffie screaming, so I followed the noise and THIS thing, jumps out at me!"  
"Do you think it hurt Yuffie?!" Riku gasped, his cat-like orbs going wide with fear, his pupils, freshly hit with sunlight, shrunk to dark slits, he braced the Keyblade, his eyes narrowed in anger. The strange creature started towards them, its dark eyes lolling around in its head, black feathers dropping from its body as a steady stream of foam coursed from its mouth.

"What's going on?" A dark voice inquired as Vincent walked through a small thicket towards them, adjusting the clips on the neck of his cloak.

"IT KILLED YUFFIE!" Kadaj screamed, pointing an accusatory toothbrush towards the creature as it twitched and writhed in place. Vincent glanced towards the creature, raising a suspicious eyebrow before he glided over towards it and studied it carefully.

"Yuffie!" He shouted softly as said ninja tripped through the thicket, hopping in place as she pulled on a boot.

"Geez, not everyone can get dressed at the speed of light, yanno!" The dark-tressed young woman grunted grumpily, running a single hand through her obsidian tresses in order to fix them, "Yea, what's up?"  
"What did you do to Sabbath?" Vincent inquired, gesturing towards the creature.

"_THAT'S_ SABBATH?!" Riku and Kadaj cried in unison, both looking perplexed by the fact that a creature so majestic and elegant not twelve hours prior was now a bizarre, twitchy… _thing_.

"I didn't do anything!" Yuffie cried defensively, placing a hand on her chest in anger, "I fed him, just like you told me to!"

Vincent narrowed his garnet orbs suspiciously, "What did you feed him, Yuffie?" He inquired. The ninja glanced away with shifty, brown irises and muttered something under her breath, "Yuffie." The red-clothed man said impatiently. Yuffie huffed angrily and stomped her foot.

"Some Doritos, Corn Nuts, Snacky S'mores, Cheesy Poofs, Diet Coke, Mentos, Mountain Dew, an un-microwaved microwave bean burrito, trail mix, and whatever that stuff at the bottom of the duffle bag was." She numbered off quickly. Vincent looked ready to run his head into a tree; the ninja sighed and walked over to the chocobo, throwing a single arm around it.

"KRAW!" The black beast cried, as opposed to the normal 'Wark' a chocobo would say.

"But doesn't Steven look so much happier?" The dark-tressed girl inquired.

"You made it DISLEXIC, Yuffie." Vincent placed his hand on his face, slowly pulling it down his pale features.

"Steven?" Kadaj inquired, raising a silver eyebrow.

"Yup, yup, yup!" Yuffie nodded with a sunny grin, "I think it's a lot better than 'Sabbath', don't you think?"

"Well, it suits him a lot better." Riku chuckled nervously as Steven the chocobo attempted to lick a stone laying on the ground.

"Wait." Riku shook his head, turning to Yuffie, "If it didn't attack you, then why were you screaming?"

Some things are just better left unsaid.

* * *

"Hold still, Marlene." Tifa instructed, pulling the ceramic flat iron through the young girl's brunette tresses, "I'm almost finished."

Marlene squirmed in anticipation, fidgeting uncontrollably, "When do I get to see, Tifa?" She inquired impatiently.

"In a minute.' The woman smiled softly, lightly patting the girl on the head. She grasped the last piece of unstraightened hair and slid the iron over it, "You can look now."

Marlene leapt from the seat, spinning around to marvel at her newly straightened tresses in the mirror that she'd had her back to. "Oh, wow!" She gasped breathlessly, "I look just like you, Tifa! You're the best mom ever!"

Tifa blushed sheepishly as she unplugged the iron, not used to being referred to as a mother by the younger girl, "Thanks." She giggled nervously as the girl bounced in place and tore out of the bathroom, sprinting down the hall and descending the stairs in rapid leaps, "Be careful!" Tifa called after her, but Marlene ignored her, skidding to a stop in the bar, where Loz and Yazoo were attempting to haul a massive box into storage.

"LOZ-NII! YAZOO-NEE!" Marlene cried happily. Loz perked up at her voice, dropping the box onto Yazoo's foot. The man with the longer tresses yowled in pain, sliding his foot out from under the box and hopping in place as he cradled his crushed toes in his hands. Loz dropped down onto one knee, getting down to eye-level with the young girl. Marlene sprinted towards him, pirouetting to a stop before him, "Look at me, Loz-Nii!" The brunette flipped her hair, "This is how Tifa's going to do my hair when I go as her for Halloween!"

"That's awesome!" Loz beamed, patting her on the head, not wanting to muss her freshly straightened hair.

"Yeah, awesome." Yazoo grunted sarcastically, glaring at his brother, "I think I fractured my… everything in my foot."

"Marlene, when are you going to get over Halloween?" Denzel inquired from where he was sipping a can of soda at the bar, "You're such a dork."

Marlene stomped her foot and pouted angrily, "I am NOT a dork. Take this: BEAT RUSH!" The girl promptly charged her surrogate elder brother

"Marlene, what are you- OW!" Denzel began, cut off by his sister with a violent series of punches, "Quit it- OW! Marlene- OW, _OWWWW_!" When the brunette girl didn't stop, Denzel seized a broom lying on the ground and held it out towards the girl.

"Fine then! You know what? BRAVER!" He raised the broom over his head, lightly bopping Marlene on the head.

"Hey, quit fighting!" Yazoo yelled at the two as he landed on a barstool, still cradling his injured foot.

"Yea! Left hook, Marlene! Rope-a-dope, kiddo!" Loz cheered on the girl, punching a fist into the air.

Meanwhile, Tifa watched from the stairway, turning her head when Cloud rested a gentle hand on her shoulder, "Hey." She beamed gently, briefly pecking him on the cheek.

"Hey." Cloud calmly said, wiping the sleep out of his eyes with the palm of his hand, "What's going on?"

Tifa gestured towards the quartet down in the bar, where Denzel was attempting to re-create Omni-Slash using the broom and Marlene was using a lemon as a 'Thunder Materia', all while Loz cheered her on and Yazoo complained loudly. Cloud chuckled lightly at the scene, folding his arms and leaning against the wall.

"Cloud…" Tifa mused softly, bringing a single finger up to touch her chin, "Do you think it's a good idea to let the kids get close to them?"

The towhead shrugged as he watched Marlene hit Denzel in the head with the lemon, "I think if they meant any harm, we would know by now."

"But is it wise to put our trust in them?" Tifa inquired, her brow knitting with worry.

"You never really trust someone until they prove their trust to you." Cloud said sagely, his dewy blue eyes closed calmly, "But as long as its relatively peaceful here, I don't think we have a problem."

"That's another thing." Tifa said softly, tensing her body as her auburn orbs began to sparkle nervously, "This peace… it feels heavy… its almost unsettling how peaceful it is… like the calm before the storm."

Cloud opened his eyes, a frown making its way onto his face as he narrowed his eyes, "I agree." He nodded, "But for now, I guess we just shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth."

"I suppose your right." Tifa sighed, starting, as there was a strangled cry from downstairs.

"YAY! Duh duh duh dun dut duh duh-duh-dunnnnnnnn!" Marlene cheered from downstairs as Tifa clambered down the stairs. Loz picked the girl up and placed her on his shoulders as he ran a victory lap around the bar.

"Denzel!" The young woman cried as she dropped to her surrogate son's side. The brunette was gasping for air, his knees squeezed tightly together. Tifa's brown orbs snapped to Marlene, "Marlene! Why did you kick Denzel there?!"  
"Tifa, you said it yourself!" The brunette girl cried from atop Loz's shoulders, "It's the fastest way to take any man down!"

Tifa's palm met her face.

* * *

"It's a free country! I can carry the stupid cat if I want to!"

"Convicts don't get the same privileges as us good-doers!"

"What the fuck are you talking about?! From what I've heard, you're a dirty little thief!"

"_LIES_! ALL LIES I TELL YOU!" Riku's eye involuntarily twitched as he placed his pack on the back of October; the blue chocobo ruffled his feathers from its neck down and then lifted a single wing to groom at the soft plumage underneath. Yuffie and Kadaj had been at it ever since they had woken up. Since Yuffie had been carrying Cait Sith around for the past several days, Kadaj was beginning to get jealous, seeing as he was a secret animal lover, and from what Riku could tell, loved cats the most out of any animal.

"Fine then! We'll play Jan-Ken-Pon to decide who gets to carry him!" Yuffie cried, pointing a finger towards the black and white feline, whom was watching the fight from Vincent's shoulder, both of them displaying very amused expressions.

"What?!" Kadaj shook his head, silver hair flying around it wildly for several seconds, "That's Gay! I'm not playing some fucking game! I get to hold the cat and that's _final_."

"Does that mean you're giving up?" Yuffie grinned like a Cheshire cat, her chocolate-colored orbs lighting up with mischief. Kadaj sputtered indignantly, growling in anger, "Oh, I knew you'd be afraid. Because not only am I a master ninja, I'm also a master at Jan-Ken-Pon! Not even you would be brave enough to stand up to me!" Yuffie placed her hands on her hips and threw back her head in an egotistical laugh.

"You wanna play, bitch?" Kadaj snarled, his eyes flashing with competition, "Then let's play!"  
"Oh?" Yuffie turned around to face him, cocking an eyebrow, "Fine then. Ready? JAN!"

"KEN!" Yelled the silver-tressed teen.

"PON!" They screamed in unison, throwing their hands out at each other.

"Paper covers rock." Riku commented from the sidelines as he hopped onto his chocobo.

"Kadaj wins." Vincent said matter-of-factly, striding towards Steven, whom was running around in circles, screaming his reversed cry. He sighed sadly, and turned back to Kadaj, whom was holding a content Cait Sith to his chest, bragging loudly to Yuffie, who had her back turned to him, an obvious pout on her face.

"Pride is a sin, you know." They dark-tressed man informed Kadaj calmly. The teen gave a single, bark-like laugh and turned to Vincent, his blue-green orbs still shining with victory.

"Heh. See if I care." He shrugged. Vincent blinked his garnet orbs quietly and then turned to his chocobo. Steven was now running full-speed towards a tree, ramming his head into it.

"You said you wanted Sabbath." The scarlet-clothed man said calmly, "You can have him now."

"Keh!" Spat the teen, jumping up onto Floyd's back in a single, graceful movement, "I'd keep my pink chocobo any day over that poor excuse for a bird."

Vincent sighed, running his clawed hand through his wild raven tresses and turned to Yuffie, the ninja was gnawing on a piece of beef jerky with her back teeth, in a way slightly reminiscent of a ravenous carnivore.

"I guess I'm walking." He informed her softly, "Come here, I'll carry you."

"Oh, Vinnie!" Yuffie dropped her food almost immediately, her brown orbs going misty and beginning to coruscate with emotion, "That's so _romantic_!"

She performed a flying leap into his arms whilst Kadaj mimed vomiting over the side of his chocobo. Riku had to burry his face into October's neck in order to stifle his laughter.

"Hey, at least I like an actual guy!" Yuffie called to Kadaj, "And I'm not into BEASTIALITY like YOU!"

"WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!" Cried the silver-tressed teen, mashing Cait Sith's furry head to his chest defensively.

"Erm… would you mind not doing that?" The cat inquired in a voice that quite obviously did not have a Scottish accent. Kadaj yelped in surprise, holding the robot out at arm's length as the black and white feline adjusted his crown.

"Reeve." Vincent said coolly as the robot squirmed out of Kadaj's grasp and landed elegantly on the ground.

"Good morning Vincent, Yuffie." Reeve addressed them with a polite bow, to which Vincent replied with a slight not of his head and the ninja in his arms waved exuberantly, "Riku and Kadaj as well." The droid turned and bowed to Riku and Kadaj in turn. Riku bowed his head whilst Kadaj expelled a loud "Keh!" and turned away, still embarrassed.

"How is everything going so far?" The cat inquired, facing Vincent and Yuffie once more.

"Good." Nodded the red-clothed man, "We should be in Nebelheim by tonight if we make good time."

"Good!" Reeve clapped his gloved hands together and nodded, "Have you heard anything from Cloud and the others lately?"

Vincent pulled his cell phone out from within the fold of his cloak and flipped it open, shaking his head, "No."

"Well, I suppose you should try to get a hold of them within the near future." Reeve instructed, stroking his chin thoughtfully, "In any case, don't overexert yourselves. Goodbye!"

The cat's form went rigid for several seconds before the cat hopped back onto Floyd, "Well, you heard the man!" Cait Sith cried, punching a tiny, gloved fist into the air, "Let's go!"

"Wait." Vincent muttered, attempting to do something with his cell phone. He growled slightly when one of his clawed fingers mashed several of the buttons and glared daggers at the small screen.

"What are you trying to do?" Yuffie inquired, peeking at the screen with curious chocolate orbs.

"I'm trying to send a text message to Cloud." He explained, his voice was as hard as stone as he obviously attempted to hold back his anger at the small device.

"Geebus Christ!" The ninja promptly snatched away the phone and finished the text, snapping it closed, "This is why they shouldn't give old people cell phones!" She growled, shoving said phone back into Vincent's hand.

The red-clothed man cleared his throat, his pale complexion a bit redder than it usually was, "We should get going now."

* * *

His fingers brushed the soft material, kneading it under his thumb. It shone dully, dripping with malice. His eyes couldn't help but snap open just a little wider… disgusted, he threw it beneath the bar onto a low hidden shelf. There was a smart rapping on the countertop, and Yazoo pulled away, startled, nervously brushing back his long front pieces of hair behind his ear.

"H-Hello and – oh, Cloud." He paused mid-greeting and suddenly felt a damp chill.

"Yazoo." The blonde nodded indifferently. Still, it sounded almost as though there was a slight edge to his voice this time… strangled almost… suspicious.

"Anything for you today, Cloud?" the man behind the counter asked politely, pulling on his best smile. The towhead had been out half the morning already on delivery runs and he looked a bit haggard already. Yazoo wondered if he had been getting enough sleep recently. He winced respectively at the thin layer of dust that coated the other man. Well, that would be the next chore.

"Anything." Cloud groaned. "Anything cold and on the rocks." A tutting of disapproval sounded as Tifa made her way into the bar from the private family kitchen. The brunette arched an eyebrow at her love but felt around for the shaker anyways. She paused and frowned a moment, holding her hair away from her face so she could bend over and look under and upon the shelf without impeded vision. Yazoo felt the room drop yet another good sixty degrees and he did his best to look around curiously.

"Wouldn't happen to feel up to having an omlette today, would you?" he chuckled lightly, twirling the pan around between his hands.

"…Not in particular…" the blonde frowned, suspecting something was up.

"Hey…" Tifa quipped, her voice sounding distant. "What's this?" she asked, brow still furrowed. She pulled at the dark cloth slightly, and it pooled out over the tiled floor. Cloud glared over the bar as the other two looked on silently, all in a collective state of shock. Impulsively, Yazoo snatched the clothing off the floor, using his arms to hastily wrap it up.

"Yazoo." Cloud growled warningly, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "Why do you have that old outfit out, and why is it under the bar? Plan to sneak out somewhere?" His accusations were met by silence.

"I was hoping it would help me remember." The longhaired man whispered ashamedly. He looked down into his hands to find he was in the process of making bread. Typical.

"Remember?" the bartender asked gently. She placed a hand on Yazoo's shoulder, which he shrugged off uncomfortably.

"We've offered you a home and the firs-" Cloud began to rant, getting up from his seat.

"Please. It's not like that!" the silver tressed man protested vehemently. "If I meant any of you harm, it would have been all too easy. Please! That isn't how I meant it."

"There was something underneath it." Tifa added, resurfacing from under the bar with a spiral bound pad of paper. "This. Is it-?"

"Yes, it's mine." Yazoo nodded eagerly, taking from her not ungraciously.

"Out of curiosity, what…?" the blonde asked, absentmindedly swirling the residual ice cubes in his empty glass.

"Just some sketches." The other replied quickly, trying to rid himself of the conversation. "Nothing much." He threw in, afraid of appearing rude.

"I didn't know you drew." Tifa said, surprised. "Those must have been done during your off hours here, but I never have seen you at it."

"I… I've grown a bit particular to the situations in which I can draw." Yazoo offered uncomfortably. "Things like… silence, particular music depending on the subject which I draw. Darkness, light. All depends and adds to the mood." He continued, a hint of nostalgia tinting his words. With a cough, he straightened up, adjusting the collar of the dark wine colored turtleneck he was wearing, a slight tinge creeping up on his cheeks. "But it's just a few sketches."

"You seem to be rather passionate about it." Tifa smiled knowingly. "You'd have to in order to talk about it in that way." This only deepened the other's blush. "So, what sort of things do you draw?" the barmaid persisted, keeping up a positive, upbeat attitude.

"Still life and portraits." Yazoo replied after a brief moments hesitation. "But it would take quite a few years more to be of any quality. There's a lot of intricacy involved in both of those forms."

"I'd say." Cloud said, a smirk in his very voice. Startled, Yazoo jumped, finding his sketchbook laying open on it's spine, each page being leisurely turned by a gloved hand. Tifa immediately squealed and gathered on the other side of her fiancée so they could pour over the pieces together. Unsure of what else to do, Yazoo returned to kneading the dough on the counter, his complexion now near as matching the coloration of his sweater.

"What made you decide to hide this talent from us?" Cloud asked, bemused.

"Well, you think it's rather unusual and queer that I can cook!" the gunner replied, kneading the soft dough a little harder than was necessary.

"Are you not gay?" the blonde asked bluntly, a skeptical eyebrow raised. Tifa squawked indignantly.

"CLOUD!"

"W-Well, ya. A-And?!" Yazoo demanded, highly flustered. "What difference does that make?!"

"It's just not very uncommon, I suppose." Cloud shrugged, a slight look of triumph in his intense blue eyes. "I take it you play a musical instrument too, or are interested in plays?"

"Yes, I play the violin." His victim admitted much to his own chagrin. He glared evilly up at the blonde before adding in a rush, "I also mastered the piano, I can dance, I can speak fluent German, French, and Spanish, and I enjoy reading Shakespeare." He glared with all his might, finishing with his dough. "Just because I'm sophisticated with good etiquette…"

"Guter Käse vier." Cloud chuckled lightly.

"I believe you meant _'Gut für Sie.'_" Yazoo corrected. "You just told me you like 'good four cheese'." A ghost of a grin threatened to brake out upon his lips in a clear victory that he had won.

"Awe, Du Arschloch." The blonde spat back, the only words in German he really knew. But that's what's bound to happen when Zack Fair is the one teaching the language.

"Ich wußte nicht, daß Sie so schwangen." The other replied, now smiling broadly. Cloud stared back at him blankly. "I like your turtleneck, it's nice." Yazoo invented, getting a right kick out of his win. The ex-SOLDIER glared at him suspiciously.

"Sieg heil mein Yazoo." Loz boomed out, a cheerful smile plastered on his face. His friend stared at him, mortified.

"Never… do that again…" he blinked, hung up on the whole 'my Yazoo' part. "_Ich werde Alpträume für Wochen haben..._" he mumbled under his breath.

"Uh…? Si senior?" Loz offered.

"That's _Spanish_ Loz." Yazoo commented dryly.

"What did he say before that?" Cloud asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

"Victory welfare, mine Yazoo." The younger of the silver haired men translated. "Apparently it was a notorious cry in the East somewhere… though it never made all too much sense to myself to personally."

"Huh… sounded kinda familiar." Cloud mused aloud.

"So. Where did you learn all this from?" Tifa spoke up, running her fingers delicately over a surprisingly accurate sketch of Marlene.

"My sister." Yazoo said casually. He froze a moment later, looking from Loz to the couple in shock. "That's right! I-I had a sister. Or have…" he looked wistfully passed the small party to the windows at the front of the bar. "Guess I'll never really know, huh?" he sighed dejectedly and heaved himself up on the bar top. He allowed his long, silvery hair to fall over his catlike eyes, feeling more depressed than ever.

"Although I can't recall much… I do know this. My family consisted of my parents, myself, and now, apparently, a sister. She…" he paused hesitantly, trying hard to reconnect the shattered scraps of memory. "She went to a college. An art college. We were very close, my sister and I. She taught me all of this stuff, got me interested in education. I had always been too into fighting and trying to beat Kadaj and Loz that I had, for I time, let more important things go." He then shot a meaningful glance to the man beside him, as if miming a silent blame. "My parents ran a bakery. From there, I learned to cook. I think… I think I was popular at school."

Loz shrugged beside him, no more certain than the rest of them. "I remember you had blue eyes." He offered. "They were such a nice color. When we were little, I always tried to figure out what they reminded me of." He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Remember when you broke your leg?"

Yazoo stared back at him vacantly. "Did I?" he asked. "I… I do remember having to stay in one place for a long time. And… people brought me flowers."

"That's right!" Loz nodded happily. "I recall coming to visit you one afternoon, and seeing a bouquet of light blue roses next to your bed."

"Kadaj brought them for me." Yazoo said suddenly.

"Ya… well…in the end I decided that your eyes made me think of light blue roses after the rain, still encrusted with dew. Or aquamarine or something." Loz finished lamely.

"Were you a poet?" Tifa guessed, leaning against the counter interestedly.

"Huh?" the bulky silver haired man said uncertainly. "Who, me?" at a nod from the brunette, he snorted appreciatively. "Hell naw. I sucked when it came to school. I know that 'cuz I hated it so much. I was ALWAYS around my siblings. I mean, make no mistake, I loved the little brats." He smiled jokingly. "Naw, they were good kids, we had some good times."

"How many brothers and sisters did you have?" Cloud joined in.

"Five brothers, three sisters. Eight in all." Loz grinned jovially. "I ended up taking care of most of 'em, seeing as I was the oldest." He threw in at a gasp of amazement from Tifa. "Ya, we'd do all sorts 'a stuff. Some of 'em would even play football with me." He laughed slyly.

"Ah Loz! If there was ever one thing I remembered of you, it was your incessant love of that sport!" his best friend exclaimed melodramatically. "That and your dark hair." He added thoughtfully. "Yes, I distinctly recall you as the same stature, only darker haired and draped ear to toe with small children. You were a few inches shorter than you are now too, you son of a bitch." Yazoo said wryly. "You've grown."

"Ah, Yazoo! You couldn't have possibly expected me to stay shorter than you forever. Look at these tugboats!" he exclaimed, pointing at his shoes. "I had to grow inta' 'em sometime!"

"I suppose you did." Yazoo chortled, sliding both Cloud and Loz a beer and a glass while he fluidly pored Tifa and himself a glass of scarlet chardonnay. He took a long sip of his appreciatively. With a sudden thought, he threw down the fresh loaf of bread on the counter in-between the other three. "Nothing goes better." He stated.

"Except perhaps chocolate." Loz argued, wiping away the amber liquid that clung to his upper lip.

"Yes Loz, except perhaps chocolate." He paused suddenly. "Or jumbo marshmallows and cheese if I recall."

"That's disgusting." Cloud said admiringly, taking a long swig.

"It is with wine." Yazoo concurred. "Sorry if the bread seems to be off, I might have forgotten to add enough yeast." He warned, tentatively tearing off a small piece for himself.

"Oh, no it's quite good!" Tifa assured him, going in for another piece herself.

"See I seem to have this problem." Yazoo said, now quite at ease. "I tend to cook with wine." He shrugged. "Sometimes it even makes it into the food." The group laughed at his joke, and for once in a long while, Yazoo felt like he was home.


	14. Cataclysm

**Jenova's Children**

**By Kawaii and Junsui**

**Author's Notes:** w00t! Okay, I think (sadly) that this is my first author note on this story (or even account) because the files are always at Kawaii-chan's house. Well, this chapter was written entirely by myself and is a whopping 19 pages in Word. Just for reference, that's seven pages minimum longer than usual chapters. So en comparison, that's a bit of a difference. The title of this chapter changed a few times. First, it was "Reunion", then it was "Carmax", then it was the name of a lung disease caused by volcanoes that I can't pronounce nonetheless spell. Now it's "Cataclysm", which means: 1) any violent upheaval, 2) an extensive flood, diluge - relating to devestation mainly. So, without further ado, I give you chapter 14! Enjoy! Junsui-chan

**Chapter 14**

**Cataclysm**

A pulse. Quickening. Closing in. A ripple. The broad sweeping landscape swayed slightly as a ghost-like surge of energy burst forth, like a heartbeat in tune with Gaia itself. The vast pool of crystalline water remained undisturbed, still and smooth as if cut with a knife. It reflected the brilliantly gleaming silver trees, branches bare as if in an everlasting winter. But the damp gray rocks overgrown with serpentine green shoots proved this not to be. Wild gnarled bushes lingered around the bases of the trees, lush, springy grass stretching between them. There was no season here, in this place untouched by the world's order. Unnatural stillness chocked the mystical scene as a dark figure appeared through the thin mist. The fireflies darted away, as though repelled back by an invisible barrier.

The man grinned coldly, stopping at the water's edge, peering into it expectantly. It shivered, then the colors began to warp and distort, marring together to create a picture. The waxen trees burned brighter still and stretched into tall, towering buildings, that resembled large metal candles, melting under the violent heat of the fire around them. Sephiroth lazily flicked his eyes to his right, and the images within the pool moved with them, giving him a perfect bird's eye view of Edge. His cruel lips curled into a sneer as the multitude of windows on the new Shin-ra building exploded out on the streets below, thick black smoke billowing out of its wounds. The streetlamps exploded as well, raining glass as screaming citizens wound through the blazing city, fighting to leave their eventual graves.

A second ripple. In the pool, the city shook wildly, met by a second crescendo of screams the echoed ominously throughout the trees. There was the sound of grating metal and onramp signs and metal structures collapsed, tearing holes into the buildings flanking them, barricading the way out of the heart of Edge. A third ripple. The asphalt split and cracked, seeping black spiraling mist, blanketing everything in darkness. Raptors with thick plate-like skin erupted from the fissures in the ground, empowered by the darkness. The Shadowcreepers gnashed their teeth menacingly, pushing the civilians back against the burning metal. Some charged forward, melting through the barricades and darted off through the streets.

Sephiroth pulled back, overlooking the streets critically. His dark eyes flickered dangerously, his patience wearing thin. A flash of white caught his attention. He zeroed in on it, bringing the pool to show, like a window a streetscape, down at human eye level. The ivory figure he had seen was that of a stone angel, poised atop a metal archway between two business establishments. He wandered over the one nearest to him. The entrance was almost flush against the front like a solid wall. A few small steps led to the broad front door, shadowed by a slight overhang. Only a yard or two above this was a wide square metal sign with rounded, burned edges, an insignia emblazoned on its front. It was a circular design. At its center was a dark navy "7th", framed by the words "Seventh Heaven". The top half was encircled with snow-white wings, the bottom as black as obsidian. There was a ring encasing it all, punctuated with twelve golden daggers. Up and above the home business was a giant cylinder. It buckled inward suddenly, crunching as the metal tore like mere paper. Amber liquid exploded from the vat as the stone statue opposite it simultaneously burst.

At that moment, six Shadowcreepers emerged from the blackened streets and surrounded the front entrance. They scratched at the iron doorframe, renting claw marks in the thick metal. Snarling and snapping, they ran themselves into the door. After the third attempt, it buckled and fell off its hinges, crashing into the room inside. Sephiroth squinted his catlike eyes irately. Something wasn't right… his quarry seemed to have evaded him. Impossible. There was still Jenova here. He stepped forward, into the water. The surface admitted him, stilling seconds later. Another step and he was up to his knees. He could feel a deep chill, but felt no more than as if he was walking through air. The image in the water sharpened, coming closer, but not distorting or falling from view. Another step later and the pool's floor gave out beneath his feet, and he fell from view of the surface, which had returned back to its normal eerie stoic beauty.

* * *

"I miss Rocket Town! Can we go back?" a high pitched voice whined. 

"Yuffie, we left only three hours ago." Vincent replied irascibly. There was a brief silence. "Which means _no_, Yuffie." He clarified.

"Awwwe… WHY?!" she pouted, crossing her arms over her chest moodily.

"In case you forgot-" Kadaj spat, glaring over at her, "We're headed to Nebelheim."

"And? So what?! We can have some fun too, can't we?!" the ninja complained. "You guys are so emo. It's annoying." She huffed when her suggestion was met by silence. It was clear they had resorted to ignoring her.

"Then what the Hell are you doing with Vi-" Kadaj suddenly decided it was _not_ in his interest to complete that sentence.

"Can't we at least go to Gold Saucer while we're here?" she begged, gazing up appealingly at her beau.

"Yuffie." He growled.

"Okay, fine! What about Costa del Sol? HUH?! What about that! You can't possibly disagree – it's right next to North Corel."

"I-" Garnet locked with chocolate. "I'm not promising anything." He sighed in defeat. The ninja shrieked with joy. "But!" he said warningly. "I'm not doing it for you." Yuffie promptly stopped jumping. "Cid can't possibly make the time to pick us back up. Costa del Sol is a major port that connects back to Junon. From there we can head North to Midgar, and then on to Edge. It's about a two day ride from North Corel, a little longer than it took to get to Rocket Town. If all goes well, then we'll just head back the way we came. If all else fails, we will just regroup and leave from Nebelheim."

"Why'd we come this way anyways? From Rocket Town, I mean." Kadaj quipped.

"Cait Sith told me there were dangers on the direct road to Nebelheim." Vincent said solemnly. "Things seem to be… happening around these parts. There is rumor of some activity near the city. We are near to Mt. Nebel, and therefore the old reactor. Nobody comes there anymore, so I assume we'll be safe."

"Oh, yeah! We'll be bloody safe!" Kadaj rolled his eyes. "That's where the criminals always go. The old abandoned places that NO ONE ELSE GOES TO. Brilliant plan, Vincent."

"You would know, wouldn't you?!" Yuffie retorted.

"Why YOU-!"

"Fine! You think you're so good! Come up with a better plan."

"FINE! Maybe I will!"

"Well, you've got ten seconds, 'cause it's right there." Riku interjected, pointing ahead to a tall mountain that had risen just around the corner.

"Come on." Vincent said, before Yuffie and Kadaj could finish their argument.

"I'll go around the damn mountain!" the silver haired teen declared, eyeing the reactor with detest.

"You'll come with us." The gunner replied icily. "It will take you far too long to make it around the base of Mt. Nebel, and then we'll have to wait up for you – which we won't –" he added as the teen opened his mouth to accept the idea. "- So you'll simply have to buck up and come with us."

"It leads right into the city anyways." Yuffie said airily. Kadaj muttered some curse.

"…I'll go up your freakin' mountain through the _radioactive material _and over the broken wooden suspension bridges – yes, I know about those, Tifa told me." He said smugly.

"Not a problem." Vincent shrugged, a vein in his forehead pulsing impatiently. "I can fly us over when we get there. _Now let's get a move on._" He said through gritted teeth.

"You don't normally loose your patience like this. I think you're loosing your ed-"

"THAT'S IT!" the dark haired man yelled. "Kadaj, you're riding with me. Yuffie, you can take Floyd. I've had it. MOVE."

"I don't wanna ride that retarded-"

"Nooooo! Steveeeeee-!"

"Not. One. More. Word."

"Good day everyone!" A bright voice spoke up.

"GAH! Frikken… cat… thing!" Kadaj whimpered, holding Cait Sith by the armpits as far away from himself as possible.

"Good morning, Reeve." Vincent replied thinly. "I assume you are about to tell me that Shin-ra's presented you with an ice cream cake and an apology card and has handled the situation accordingly?" he said, implying, "Tell me one effin thing is wrong and someone's gonna pay."

"No, unfortunately. But Elena did just bring in some delicious brownies just the other day! I do say, working with Shi-"

"Uh, so what's new?" Riku asked nervously, cutting across the WRO leader as he felt Vincent's patience drop another five degrees.

"Oh, right. Down to business. This is Riku, I assume? Sounds like you. Right." He continued, not waiting for a response. "Well, there are problems in Edge. Correction. We've lost the Shin-ra building, Vincent."

"Lost?!" the other replied, all terseness dropped. "You mean bombed?"

"Ehhh, well… I'm reporting to you from the WRO headquarters at present. Got it all fixed up thanks to you. Don't know what we wou-"

"Reeve!"

"Righto. Well, I've got reports – it's on the news of course too – that Edge is under siege of some sort. The power's gone out; there are explosions, but no bombs, and lots of smoke. There are a numerous amount of civilians that were trapped in the center of the city; the different exits were barricaded because so much of the infrastructure has collapsed. Of course, we're working on getting them out of there. There are a few fatalities – smoke damage and the like. Some were just burned to death, but others had strange bite wounds. Their blood turned jet black and they went cold immediately. We had a guy in here that just passed – that's how we know. It's highly unusual. I don't know of any fire resistant creature like that.

"There are of course the normal news crews in there, and the WRO has sent troopers. We've got a few Turks in there as well, in the choppers. The strange thing is, we can't find a blasted thing that indicates whose work it is. There's no sign of anyone out of the normal there at all. Of course, we'd have said it was arson, or an accidental fire that got out of hand even, but the thing is, not all the pieces are fitting together. You understand?"

"Yes…" Vincent said slowly.

"We want you to get right on it… where are you Anyways?"

"We can't, we're at Mt. Nebel."

"Mt. Nebel! Why-?"

"Where is Cloud and the others? Can't they handle it?"

"Well, the thing is I'm in Kalm and I can't reach them. You have Cait Sith, so…"

"Alert one of the Turks, they'll know where the Seventh Heaven is. Everyone does." Vincent replied.

"But Vinc-"

"No." he said firmly.

"Vincent! We think this is really serious! You and Cloud… this is such a strange case. Between the two of you, we're certain that-"

"No." Vincent replied stolidly.

"You… you don't have to. Just for us, I mean. That…" Riku began awkwardly.

"What is so urgent that you'd turn this away?!" Reeve protested.

"It is my belief that this is the work of something a lot greater." The raven tressed man explained, eyeing Riku and Kadaj meaningfully. "Nebelheim has the answers, you know that."

"Riku's past?" Reeve asked incredulously. "How does that-?"

"A lot more than you'd think."

"But-!"

"My answer is 'no'. Now, _good day_ Reeve." Vincent snarled, and reached toward the nape of Cait Sith's neck and flicked a small switch to the 'off' position.

* * *

"Four." 

"Five! Your card is mine!" Denzel crowed.

"Ace"

"Damn, three."

"Jack"

"Sweet! Jack. I declare war!" the brunette boy excitedly drew three cards and placed them behind his Jack. Loz followed suit.

"War, huh?" Cloud asked, amusedly as Denzel swept all eight cards into his pile. "A bit tame for you."

"Ya, well." The boy sighed. "Tifa said we weren't allowed to play-fight in the house anymore."

"I see." The blonde smiled softly. "I wasn't either, when I was a kid."

"I'm not a kid!" Denzel huffed non-argumentatively and he added more cards to his pile. Cloud swept up the cards to the boy's protest. "Heeey! We were playing with those!"

"Ya, well you were schooling him anyways." He laughed with a smile at Loz. "How about Poker?"

"Eh… what about Gin?"

"Rummy it is then!"

"C-Cloud!" Tifa's strangled cry came from upstairs. There was the sound of rushed footsteps. She approached the landing and jumped over the side rail. "Something weird's going on!" she panted.

"What do you mean?" he frowned, automatically reaching over his back to grab the First Tsurugi, forgetting it was tucked away upstairs.

"I was up in our room straightening up. I looked out the window and… there was smoke." She bit her lip, throwing her weight from foot to foot.

"Smoke? Which way?" he asked, cards already neatly packed away in their box.

"Well… from the center square." Tifa said. "And from the East. I think it's spreading." She admitted. "Maybe we should check the ne-" Outside there was a loud _Pop! _The four tensed.

_BOOM!_

The sound of the explosion rattled the windows. Yazoo came out from the kitchen with Marlene at his side, looking harried. "What the Hell was that?!" he cried, shooting furtive glances outside.

"An explosion, what do you think?" Loz growled, although not at Yazoo.

"I figured that much out for myself, thanks." The other retorted, pushing Marlene towards Tifa and running to the window. "Uh… guys. There are billowing black clouds out there." Cloud rushed to his side, throwing the curtains open as far as they'd go.

"Shit!" the blonde swore, his thoughts wheeling. Yazoo raced back behind the bar in a flurry. There was a sound of creaking wood and the others peered over at him curiously. He emerged with an armful of weapons, tossing a stout gun to Loz, who checked it before strapping it to his hip.

"Where did you? How?" Cloud blinked, dumbfounded.

"It's called having an angry, mutinous Kadaj." The silver tressed man explained. "He can have his childish moments, but he is pretty damn clever too. He found that compartment in the floor when you first brought us here."

"What compartment?!" Tifa exclaimed, scurrying over to check it out. The space was big enough for a grown man to curl up in either in a crouch or lying down. Tifa said something, but there was another loud explosion that drowned out her words. She paled and looked around. "Cloud?" she called tentatively, pulling on her leather fighting gloves. "What do you think is causing all of this? You don't think…?" she asked, horrified. The other two men shifted uncomfortably, knowing where her thoughts were headed.

"If it's any consolation to you, Miss Tifa, I know that there isn't any other… people like us." Yazoo offered softly.

"Oh! I-I didn't mean… I…. I'm sorry if I've offended either of you! I didn't mean-" Tifa flustered, trying to cover her error.

"I believe she was referring to Sephiroth." Cloud calmly explained, setting a hand on the brunette's shoulder. Another explosion echoed outside, louder than the first. The panes in the window rattled ferociously. "Come on." The ex-SOLDIER muttered darkly. "Normally, I can feel his presence, but…"

"I don't feel anything." Loz said unhappily. "Just a normal sense of foreboding. I dunno, never had the chance to test our Jenova-awareness since we came back. Not sure if we should be able to feel it or not."

"We still have all the Jenova, as usual." Yazoo disagreed. "We're just Jenova and our original selves as sustenance rather than pieces of Sephiroth's soul. We should still be able to feel him… only I can't either." Cloud cleared his throat, giving the group a cursory glance.

"Tifa, you and I can take Fenrir, seeing as these two had the good will to return it to us." He began with a wry smile. "Frankly, the civilians would not expect either of you two to help out, and might panic more than they are due to at the moment, so I-"

"No." Yazoo said resolutely. "Don't you _dare_ think that our behavior is only due to the fact that we've been trying to stay in your good graces while at this house. Don't think that we are still the… the _REMNANTS_ that you fought not so very long ago, that we aren't just as HUMAN as the rest of you, that we don't feel the same pain and sorrow and pride and honor. Because we _do_. And I'll be damned if I'm forced to sit still when I could help. All that is left of my curse is my appearance. I'm still Yazoo. I'm still the same as I was when I still had a chance at a normal life in Nebelheim. We're trying so hard Cloud! We all are! Do you have any idea how hard – how fucking _hard_ – it is to try and start our life over again?! For people not to look at us and see monsters?! It's HELL, Cloud. It's HELL." He spat, crumpling against the bar, silent tears running down his face. "We can't go out in public, we can't…. we're suffocating! We can't breathe! We can't live! It's…. ridiculous. So if we're to be hated and despised irregardless of who we are – if we are to never be given a fair chance – then why bother?! We'll go out there and do what we want. We'll fight not because we should, but because we want to. Because we want to help people, even though they would never think to help us, to even so much as look at us. Because…." He swept sheets of silver rain from his face, now stained heavily with tears. "Because… we're ashamed of what we are. Because we hate ourselves. Because no matter what we do, we will always be the remnants. We will always be blamed for so much sorrow and loss. Because we will never be happy, nor do we deserve to because… we stole it from others, at their expense. And all we can do now, the only thing left to do, is to cover it up with what we should have been… because if we can make others believe that we're worth living… then maybe we will be. It's so hard when everything you do is for nothing, when it doesn't change anyone's perception of you. You begin to just feel so… hollow." Exhausted of words, he slumped to the ground, knees brought to his chest, his head hanging in despair, sheets of hair hiding the tears that now came unbidden.

Cloud stared at the broken figure numbly, looking very much as if he just got hit by a bus. The others watched tensely between the two. Finally, Loz broke the silence. "Yaz…" The other shook his head, afraid his tone would betray him further. "Yazoo, please." Loz tried again. "Look man… I… I totally agree with you. It is hard. But… we're accepted here, right? I mean… even the kids love us."

"They love _you_, Loz." The other corrected, a hint of jealousy in his voice.

"… But… But Tifa and Cloud! They let us stay here and we joke around and … aren't we a family?! Isn't that what you said to me the other day?! That you felt finally as though we had a family again?! Please, Yazoo, don't be like this. I know there is a time when we all need to cry. We can't always be strong, and it's not right to keep that all to yourself. Kadaj is the same way and we always have to tell him that. And he and Riku love us too. We… we need to be strong. We need to rely on our family, because they love us and support us and are there for us, because they care. Just have faith in us! Please! Don't worry about everyone else. Like you said, if they don't like us, who cares! Ignore them. They'll see one day, and they'll regret how they saw us. And if they don't? Then they aren't worth crying over, right?" There was a long pause, and the elder man sighed heavily. He bent down closer to Yazoo and dropped his voice so only they could hear.

"Look, I know you've always had a hard time with this. I know you are obsessed with what other people think about you-" at this, there was a whimper of protest. "-but you really need to move on this time. For your own good. I know you were always over-shadowed by your sister, but I also know you loved her, and your parents. And I love you too, Yazoo. You and Kadaj both. You're the best brothers I've ever had, and the closest too, for what we've been through. Look, if you ever need to talk, come to me, okay? I swear I'll do what I can to help… I've been there too, ya know?" he chuckled darkly. "One day things'll be better, just you wait and see. But until then, we just need to keep our heads up. And I swear to you, once you stop caring so much about how others see you, you'll be a lot happier. It took a load offa me. It's just another thing that isn't worth dealing with or worrying about. It only complicates your life, and we both _know_ that's the last thing we need now!"

Yazoo looked up at him hesitantly, issuing a shaky laugh. "You've always been my brother, Loz." He smiled remorsefully. They stared at each other before Yazoo reach up and gave the other an awkward hug. "Right as usual." He huffed softly. Now both standing, they parted, looking to Cloud and Tifa hopefully. The long haired man wiped the corners of his eyes with the back of his wrist sheepishly. "So… are we gonna save the world or what?" he asked weakly, attempting to sound more confident. Tifa could no longer contain herself. She threw herself at the two silver haired men, encompassing them both in a hug filled with sympathy and comfort.

"I'm so sorry you've had such a hard time. No one said it'd be easy, but… Loz is right. You'll always have us. No matter what happens. We've lived together long enough now, we're a family. Right Cloud?" she asked, turning to look at the blonde standing in the doorway. Ominous sounds still rumbled on outside.

"'Course." He nodded, scratching the back of his neck. He was still unaccustomed to the 'fluff' that his beau seemed to create, which always made him feel so out of place.

"See!" the woman crowed proudly, happy of their new family achievement. "Let's go." She encouraged, dragging a surprised Yazoo away by the hand. "Loz?" Tifa paused, not hearing his footfalls behind them. The bulky man stood back by the bar, Denzel and Marlene beside him, a protective hand setting on the shoulder of each.

"I…" he looked down at them. "I think I'll stay here with them. They need someone here… just in case."

"I don't nee-"

"Yes you do, Denzel! No time left to argue. Loz will watch after you and Marlene. If he tells you to do something, you do it, instantly and without question, you hear?" Tifa reprimanded, her garnet orbs narrowed in determination. The boy quailed under her glare and fell silent. There was a brief exchange and Loz tossed Tifa his gun, who took it in shock.

"Don't you need-?"

"Naw, I'm more up-close and personal when I fight." He smirked, patting his left arm upon which his metallic, energy-filled, clawed weapon was strapped to. "Dual Hound is far more useful to me than a gun. Hell, Yazoo stole that from me half the times we fought anyways, but he already has Velvet Nightmare. You and him can share that one." He shrugged, tossing his 'brother' a few clips. "Take care." He called as they filled out the door, the sound of Cloud revving the engine on Fenrir filling their ears. "And don't talk to strangers!" he called additionally, chuckling a little as he turned back to the kids.

* * *

"Let me borrow that top! Let me borrow that top! Let me borrow that top! I wanna borrow that top! That's such a cute top! That's a cute top! I wanna borrow it! Let me borrow that top! Aren't we friends? Aren't we-" Yuffie belted out. 

"NO! No we are _**not**_ friends and you can't have my frikken' shirt!" Kadaj hollered, a vein in his forehead twitching. It had been a looong two hour ride up to the top of Mt. Nebel, and they were just making the descent down to the town of Nebelheim. The little ninja had already enlightened her companions with a multitude of different renditions of the latest songs she'd found online. This was, by far, one of her favorites.

"I've already been to the mall!" she cooed, leaning over towards Kadaj, a golden arm slung around her middle resignedly, holding her onto the chocobo. "I've already been to the mall!"

"AND IT SUCKED!" she chorused with Riku, who burst out laughing. Kadaj glared at him murderously.

"You TRAITOR!" he screamed. "Teaming up with _her_!" he squinted his eyes irately to prove his displeasure. Riku, on the other hand, was too lighthearted to take his brothers thin threat seriously.

"Awe, Kadaaaa-chuuu!" Yuffie called sweetly. "Don't be a betch!"

"Common! It's not that bad!" Riku laughed. "It's kinda fun if you just go along with it."

"Ya Kada-chu! Sing with us!" The silver tressed teen winced.

"Don't call me that." He pouted. "And I'm NOT singing with you."

"I've already been to Heaven." Riku prompted with a smirk.

"I've already been to Heaven." Yuffie repeated, lightly pushing Kadaj on the shoulder from atop the black bird.

"And after five minutes, I was like, 'Let's go'." He finished, still grumpy.

"SWEET! That's 20 gil, Riku!" the ninja whooped.

"Damn, never thought he'd actually do it." The teen said, not at all minding. His brother wasn't the most enthusiastic when it came to joking around, so he didn't mind his involvement – however slight – now.

"KRAW!" the ebony chocobo called happily.

"Awe! I think Steven's hungry!" Yuffie chirped, petting the bird's neck.

"NO!" the three men chorused, all reaching to stop her.

"Geez, you'd think I was trying to poison the poor thing!" she grumped.

"Aren't you?" Kadaj spat back sarcastically. "You already managed to make it retarded."

"He's only dyslexic!" the dark haired girl said defensively. Everyone stopped and watched as Steven the Chocobo attempted to eat a certain clump of greens by sticking his head underneath his body and around his leg.

"Oh ya. He's _only_ dyslexic." Kadaj drawled. The girl sent him a scathing look and tapped the back of Steven's neck.

"Come on Steven. Steven!"

"Kraw?"

"Come on now, Steven. Yee-haw!" and with that, she dug her heels into the bird's side and smacked it on the rear. Within seconds, Vincent and Yuffie were only a rapidly moving black spot in the distance. Kadaj and Riku exchanged bemused looks.

"Well damn, and I thought I got ripped off with the pink one." The elder said, ruffling Floyd's brilliantly colored plumage.

"Well, I always loved October." Riku shrugged. "And can you imagine what would have happened if you ended up with Sabbath, err… Steven? You wanted him, didn't you?"

"Geez… I'd have killed Yuffie for doing that to my bird." There was a brief silence as the brothers rode further down the path. Kadaj began to snigger uncontrollably.

"Alright, what is it?"

"Well…" Kadaj tried to fight off the grin. "I was just thinking. I have a pink chocobo, and you have a blue one."

"Wow Kadaj. I'd never have known that otherwise. Incredible information, Sherlock. If we happen to find a colorblind man, I'll tell him." Riku said dryly.

"No! That's not! Jesus Jenova! I was just thinking how it reminded me of those two unicorns from that little show…"

"Uh-huh." The other teen nodded. "…Race ya to Candy Mountain! YA!" And with that, he pelted down the path, Kadaj hot on his trail, laughing all the way.

* * *

"Can we go back to playing War?" Denzel asked. "Or Gin Rummy or something." 

"I don't know, kiddo." Loz shrugged, looking apprehensively out the window.

"I dunno, I just thought that maybe… well, take our minds off things, ya know?" the boy added optimistically.

"Not sure. Hey! Heeey! Marlene, get away from the window, okay?" Loz warned, pacing over to her. Halfway across, she screamed and backed away.

"The statue! The angel!" she yelled, wide-eyed. "It just… it just…" and she mimed an explosion with her hands.

"Combusted?!" Denzel suggested, running to check it out. Pieces of white stone littered the ground. "Holy sh-" The window panes started to rattle violently, but the explosions outside were too irregular to have caused it.

"Denzel." Loz called, white faced. "Denzel, come here." He called to the petrified boy. "Something's wrong Denzel, get away from that window." The words seemed to have the desired effect, because the brunette raced into the older man's protective arms. There was a horrible moaning wail, and a jarring sound reminiscent of nails on a chalkboard. Everything went still and the three occupants of the building held their breaths, hearing their own racing hearts. There was a faint _pop!_ The panes rattled so hard, the glass nearly erupted, and a horrible, deafening sound of ripping metal came from the second story as beer exploded over the building and into the street.

"THE TANK BURST!" the young girl exclaimed, pointing at the amber liquid oozing down the windows. "Loz-nii-san, what's going on?" she asked, twirling her hair between her fingers worriedly.

"It's fine, Marlene. Just stay back from the door. Just stay…" he broke off, staring amazedly into the street.

"Dude... it's… getting darker." Denzel said slowly.

"Is it the Lifestream again?"

"Can't be." The brunette disagreed. "Aerith is up there protecting us now, right? She wouldn't let him use that again. 'Sides, he's been offed twice now. Cloud saw to that." He assured her proudly.

"GET BACK!" the silver haired man roared, pushing them back into the kitchen. "Get under the table, hide! Somewhere! Something's forming out there. Don't make a word, pretend you're not even here." He ordered, his voice strained. They all froze as the sound of tearing iron screeched from the outside. Loz hurried out into the bar, closing the door discretely behind him just in time to see a Shadowcreeper break through a narrow window, shoving its nose into the fissure and clicking its jaws.

"Perfect." He growled. "I guess I could have used that gun." The Shadowcreepers had begun to throw themselves resolutely at the front door and at the windows. His heart pounding in his throat, Loz pulled two orbs from his jeans pocket and rolled them in his palm. He had two Fire Materia, courtesy of one of Yazoo's shopping excursions. He had two chances to destroy six monsters that had an inordinate amount of speed, agility, and strength. Not to mention they could smell anything within a quarter mile. Quickly, he forced the two swirling orbs into his left arm, wincing at the feel. A third attempt at the front door, and it crashed inward, completely off its hinges. There was a plume of darkness and dust, during which there was the sound of shattering and crunching glass. The dust cleared and six dark creatures stood, staggered in an arrow-like formation.

"I remember you." Loz said darkly, crouching into a fighting stance. The front-most raptor launched forward, back claws aiming for his abdomen. Loz became a blur and charged past it towards a pair aiming for the back door. With a growl, he sliced at the chest of the first, bringing it down to the ground. The second turned to bite his shoulder, but he punched it, blinding it with the ring Cloud had given him weeks prior. The Shadowcreeper reared back, screaming in pain. Its opponent smirked and penetrated it's thickly plated chest with the Dual Hound, upper cutting into its jaw so the metal claws ran all the way up its chest.

Two down, four to go. He barely turned when he sprung from the floor with surprising agility at another raptor, tearing into its flank. It roared and clawed at Loz's side, just grazing his skin as he pulled away. He kicked another approaching beast in the throat and ducked between its legs to rear back and pierce it through the spinal column. It hunkered down to the ground, paralyzed. With a smirk of satisfaction, he whirled backwards, avoiding the still snapping giant head, and fired off a blast of flames at the three Shadowcreepers. The fire grew upon impact then died out, having killed the monsters from the intensity of the flames. Loz landed neatly on the bar's floor, looking around worriedly for the missing raptor. And if he knew anything of them…

He willed himself to look to the kitchen, and sure enough, the door was slightly ajar. Paling instantly at the implications of what could have happened behind his back, he charged into the room without second thought. The beast snapped around to face him, pulling its nose out from under the table. Marlene and Denzel were cowering against the other wall, terrified. Loz drew it back from the children, ducking as it soared over his head, thick nail digging into the wooden floorboards. Hissing its fury, it advanced again, this time swiping with its front feet. A single claw scraped Loz's scalp, drawing scarlet blood instantly.

"DUCK!" a high voice screamed as the monster wheeled to attack once more. Instantly, the silver haired man fell to a crouch. There was a sickening clunking sound, then a whine, and the Shadowcreeper collapsed on the floor, eyes rolling back into its head, thick tongue lolled over one side of its jaw. Getting to his feet, Loz saw a dark object protruding from its skull. With a frown, he grasped what appeared to be a handle and withdrew a seven inch knife covered in gooey black blood. He turned, shocked, to see a ghostly pale Denzel with his arm still extended.

"An excellent throw." The man commented, placing the knife haphazardly on the counter and falling down beside both children. "Thank you." He added to the startled Denzel. "Are you both alright? There was six of 'em. I should have seen-" Were it possible for the boy to get any lighter, he would have.

"SIX?!" he squeaked. "One was enough for me, thanks." He said, aghast.

"You two sit tight, I'm going to step outside and look and see if any more are coming. They knocked the door clean off its hinges, and the windows are all shot. I'll holler if I see anything coming. You're both doing brilliantly." He added lovingly, drawing Marlene in for a hug and mussing Denzel's hair. "I'll be back shortly. With that, he left, the sound of his combat boots echoing back to the two children.

"What should we do, nii-san?" Marlene asked nervously.

"Sit tight I guess." The boy relented, for once not seeming so upset about staying out of danger's way.

"But… I don't know…" the girl argued, chewing her bottom lip. "This isn't _that_ safe. We have better places to go, like when we play hide-and-seek! We've got to think of good places to hide, places no one or nothing could really get to us!" she said brightly. Denzel contemplated her idea thoughtfully.

"Ya, I guess you've got a point there." He agreed. "But Loz said…"

"He just wants us to be safe!" the girl argued, frowning now. "We'd only be helping him."

"All right, all right." The brunette waved his hands in exasperation. "Let's split up then. First hint of trouble and you yell, got it?" he asked, suddenly very much like Tifa.

"Got it!" Marlene replied brightly. Hesitantly, the two emerged from the backmost room of the family bar. Loz was pacing back and forth in the street, looking sharply from side to side. They watched him, transfixed, as he suddenly froze, becoming very rigid. He bent low into a fighting stance, eyes narrowed in concentration. Without looking towards the bar, he bellowed, "PAPER CRANES." Strange as the words were, Marlene and Denzel understood right away. Loz had showed them a form of hide-and-seek that he and Kadaj had made up when they were kids called Life-and-Death. There were two seekers; one representing fire and death, the other representing water and life. The other players would hide and the seekers would go and find them. If Life found them first, they'd yell "Holy!" and the person would be spared from Death. If Death found a person, they'd yell "Paper Cranes" because of the frailty of the person and the destruction of Death's fire. Life could save the person, and the seeker with the majority of people won.

The warning was discreet enough, but the message was clear: something very dangerous was coming – something that could understand warnings – and they needed to hide as fast as possible. "Quick!" the secret compartment!" Marlene whispered harshly, shoving her adopted brother forward. She wrenched open the door and pushed him towards it. He opened his mouth to protest, that he'd stay and help Loz fight, but she cut across him. "No! I'm smaller, and only one of us can fit. Go!" Reason sided with her, and Denzel crouched into the space. The door banged heavily over his head, plunging him in darkness, and there was a grating sound as Marlene hid the place with a few wine barrels.

Chancing a glance out the window, she scampered around, looking desperately for a place to hide. The scuffling sound of a battle grew louder, and she ran back into the kitchen, clambering into a cabinet with Tifa's pots and pans, hunched over uncomfortably. Her breath hitched in her throat as she heard a heavy impact just outside. Loz moaned painfully, getting back up to his feet.

"You're pathetic." Said a voice disdainfully.

"Shut up! I'm far better than you can ever be!" Loz argued forcibly, wiping away the trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth with the back of his wrist.

"Oh?" crooned the silky voice, sweet like honey, but dripping with venom. "And why would my little remnant say this?"

"I'm no longer your remnant, Sephiroth!" the other spat. Marlene gasped audibly, covering her mouth with her hand instantly.

"You will always be a part of me." The warlord continued in his slow, deep voice. "To each of you I bestowed a part of myself. To Kadaj, my cruelty and natural leadership. To Yazoo, my calm collect and allure. And to you, Loz, I gave you my agility and strength – my physical power and violence. Can you tell me now that you have truly changed?"

"We only received those parts of you, because there was a little of them there in ourselves to begin with! This has nothing to do with you anymore! We are no longer yours to control at whim!"

"No?" Sephiroth said in a deadly whisper. His fist connected again with Loz's jaw and sent him flying back into a table. He grunted and heaved himself up again, slightly dizzy.

"Pathetic." Sephiroth repeated, in disgust. "Just like the rest of your family."

"W-What?!" Loz breathed, standing stock still. "What about my family?! What did you do to them you bastard?!"

"The girls were especially easy, but they put up more of a challenge. Your brothers, on the other hand…" his lips lifted into a cruel smirk. "They just charged me. Me tact, of course, and therefore no challenge. Quite a waste. But the girls… they at least played games with me until they met their end. None of them could tell me where you were. Very noble, very, very stupid of them, don't you think? At least you know now that they protected you to their beds. Your parents too. They were the first to die, trying to stand up to me. How feeble they looked, just as easy to kill."

"No." Loz stared, horrified. "NO! YOU BASTARD!" Thoughtlessly, he charged the other, filled with hatred and rage.

"And after telling you all of that-" Masamune flashed through the air menacingly. "-You still attempt to charge just as your brothers before you did." Loz jumped over the swinging blade, launching forward to punch his enemy's solar plexus, only to be evaded, an elbow jabbing in between his shoulder blades and his quarry leapt back and atop a table.

"I'm not here to fight." He purred. "Just tell me where they are."

"W-Who?!" Loz panted, straightening up painfully.

"The other remnants." Sephiroth's velvety voice continued. "Yazoo, Kadaj, and Yukio."

"Yukio?" the other frowned, confusion creeping in. "Who?"

"Don't play dumb with me!" the warlord hissed. "He was here! He and his brother were both here, where are they?!"

"Ri… We don't know of any Yukio's here." Loz argued, reaching his decision as realization set in. "And even if we di-"

"Insolence." Sephiroth whispered, standing over the other's writhing form. "Tell me where the remnants are." He said coldly, any pretense of kindness evaporated like mist. The unforgiving folded steel edge of Masamune was pressed up against Loz's neck.

"Don't call us that." The broad man growled forcibly.

"I will call you as I wish. Now where are Kadaj and his little brother? My patience is running thin, don't try and test it." His lips curled into a snarl. "And don't play the charades your family did. Don't think bravery will get you anywhere, for it will only lead to death." Loz stared up calmly at the man he hated most in the world.

"Then kill me." He breathed. "I harbor no-one here."

"You speak lies again. Where is the Cetra?" Sephiroth asked, changing tactics.

"Cetra? Cetra?!" The younger man laughed shakily, his lungs screaming with the effort. "You killed her, you bastard. You killed the last Cetra."

"I swore to eliminate them all, there need be only one."

"You're delusional even still! You never were Cetra! Yoo-" a firm hand clamped around his neck, lifting him up and off his feet. Loz gave a strangled cry as, with a mere flick of the wrist, he was sent crashing into the bar. He lay, panting heavily, every bit of him aching.

"Now is not the time to get smart with me. I have been exceedingly patient with you, remnant. Now, you will tell me where she is. Or should I rather just start looking for her myself? I might flush her out by setting this place afire, it wouldn't be hard, covered in flammable alcohol as it is now."

"You'll… do … no such thing. There's… no one… else here. No one… but me." Loz spat through gritted teeth. "I augggggggggggh!" he screamed as Masamune pierced through his shoulder warningly.

"This sword can slice through steel, with a simple mistake it could slice through your heart."

"But then I'd be of no further use to you, would I?" Loz grimaced, knowing this to be true.

"Do not fall under the false impression that you are something I'd lament being rid of. Your loss is insignificant to me." Masamune rose with a sickening squelching sound and hovered poised above Loz's chest. Sephiroth drew back, both hands upon the blade.

"LOZ-NII-SAN!" a high pitched voice shrieked.

"Marlene!" the silver haired man gasped. "Get out of here! GO!" Sephiroth let his katana drop, its tip scratching into the floor, a crazed expression upon his face.

"And here she is."

"That girl is no Cetra! She's just a child!" Loz protested, trying to run over to her. "Marlene, go!" But the brunette refused to turn, standing powerfully before her opponent. She wore a determined look, eyes narrowed, lips pressed into a thin line, expression set. Something vaguely familiar.

"No, Loz-nii-san." She said rather calmly. From behind her back, she drew a tall mug of water she had filled from the tap in the kitchen. Sephiroth stared on quietly as she set it down between them.

"This isn't a game, Marlene!" he called desperately.

"I know. And I'm not playing either, nii-san." She assured him. With a spiteful look towards the man that had been the source of fear for her entire life, she closed her eyes in concentration, her hands clapped together in what looked like a silent prayer. She could feel a surge of strength rise within her, stronger and more powerful than ever before. She could hear a faint, distant heartbeat that pulsed and grew closer and louder with every second. A calming warmth spread through her body, soothing her fears. And then, two hearts beat as one and she opened her eyes to rise and connect with catlike ones of the same color. Between them a shining, sparkling wall had formed, thick spirals of water coursing up its length. Unnatural green and turquoise teardrops drew together, wrapping together with greater force and speed as they pulled together into a vortex, continuing to spin until it formed a solid orb.

"I… I killed you." Sephiroth faltered, staring disbelievingly at Marlene. She smiled softly, almost with pity, her skin holding a rosier hue, her eyes rather than being chocolate brown, were a light emerald green. Ghost like bangles hung on her wrists, her simple white dress glowed pink as if a spotlight shone upon it. Her visage had changed entirely, making her look older, wiser; the Aerith that everyone had come to love and respect.

"Perhaps, but you never could kill my soul." Two spoke as one and the orb beyond the barrier exploded, tendrils of twisted water snaked around the building. Loz glowed briefly as the cooling sensation washed over him, restoring his health. The girl bridged her hands together and pushed them outwards at the barrier, which materialized into bullet-like beads of water and pelted towards Sephiroth. He froze, lips slightly parted, as the holy water seared through his skin and disappeared. The spell was weak enough to have only minimal effect on him. He shook his head, tears cascading from long silken tresses, pooling on the floor. Marlene rushed to Loz's side.

"Loz! Nii-san! Are you okay?" she asked worriedly.

"Much… much better now, thanks, imouto-chan." He panted appreciatively. "That was cool. But… ya gotta get out of here. I'll take care of him."

"Will you now?" Sephiroth asked jeeringly as Marlene ushered a gasp. A dark leather clad hand clamped over her shoulder, drawing her small frame sharply to his legs. Her still green eyes widened in fear, trembling as she tried to lower Masamune from across her neck. The warlord shook her hard, pressing the steel closer into her jaw.

"LET HER GO!" Loz screamed, rising to his feet.

"Upon what charges?" the elder man demanded. "I won't relinquish her on a mere whim, understand that. She is a Cetra and I swore to myself I'd be the only one. Or perhaps you've forgotten? The scientists from Shin-ra discovered within the Northern Crater our Mother – a 2000 year old being that belonged to a race that once ruled this planet that were known as the Ancients, or Cetra. The Cetra were blessed with deep spiritual powers that could communicate with this planet, and long life. When Crisis struck the planet, some of the Cetra fled from the danger, leaving the rest to die whilst saving the planet. The cowardly Cetra were the ancestors of humanity. Those who still remained Cetra were entitled to the Promised Land, our final resting place. Shin-ra, in their conquest for power, assumed that the Promised Land would be full of Mako energy. Through this greed, our Mother's cells were transmitted to me, delegating me as the last true Cetra, heir to this planet. And the rest of the _filth_ that live here should be exterminated and the planet returned to it's rightful owner."

"But a _child_?" Loz asked quietly. "What difference will one child make?"

"One child?" Sephiroth countered, crazed. "Is that all you see? _One child_?"

"Are you such a megalomaniac that you fear even children?!"

"_Fear_? I fear no one and nothing. Do you not understand? One child will grow into one adult, which will fester and infect others with dreams of grandeur. One child can become one powerful enemy. You forget, we were all children once. _I_ was a child once. Cloud Strife was a child once. And see what we've become. I killed the flower maiden because she prayed for Holy, and did you not just see her manifest before us? Of the threat this _one child_ bears?"

"What are you saying?" Loz whispered, mortified.

"Where is Yukio Nonaka?" the warlord asked harshly, drawing Marlene back sharply.

"I don't know." The younger man said truthfully, shaking his head. "I-"

"Your loss then." Sephiroth said unsympathetically as he drew the blade up and against the young girl's neck. Loz heard himself gasp audibly, extending a hand out, reaching for something, anything, that would take back what he'd seen. And even though he could hear nothing, he could still feel a sickening lurch in his chest as her body hit the floor, lifeless, a scarlet ribbon of blood streaming down her neck and pooling on the floor, matting in her hair. He could feel the vibrations of the thick combat boots strike the hardwood as his torturer strode away. He could feel the despair and disbelief shake him down to his very soul, detached and separate. This was not happening. This wasn't real. No, no, _no_…

He stood, numbly, not even feeling his own feet or seeing where they went. Marlene lay on the floor like a marionette that was cut from her strings, legs curled beneath her body. Chocolate orbs stared, as if encased in glass, blankly to the backmost corner of the bar, unseeing. Still warm cheeks held a rosy hue, looking more and more like a painted porcelain face by the minute. There was a pulse, almost like a ripple. A flash of green light filled the room. It happened so fast.

The water that lay upon the floor gleaned with the ethereal light of the Lifestream and the small girl lifted up into the air, eyes closing softly, a tear slipping down the sides of her face. Spirals of strand-like water rose and cradled her body, her hands clasped upon her chest, hair unbraided and flowing in the Lifestream's caress. Sephiroth had paused in the doorway, one foot upon the steps, and a hand on the doorframe as he watched silently, in shock. Even in death, the child looked peaceful and angelic, and as she came to rest upon the floor once more, skin unmarred by blood, the clouds parted slightly and tears fell from the sky. With a snort of disgust, the warlord stared with an unreadable expression towards the seemingly sleeping girl, turned on his heel and disappeared. There was the sound of falling crates as Denzel crawled from his compartment, quietly cursing the barrel of alcohol that had been rolled over the only entrance and exit to ensure his safe keeping. A staggered sob caught his attention, and he turned to see the bulky silver haired man hunched over his adopted sister.

"I sorry Marlene." Loz wept, wiping stray hair from her small oval face. "I let you down, I'm sorry." He peered outside pleadingly at the sky. The rain now pelted the city, dousing the flames. Thick, congested black clouds drifted away through the damp air. This wasn't Aerith's rain of healing, but one of lament. "I've let you down too, Miss." He chocked. "I'm sorry, I'm really trying… I… I wasn't good enough. I froze up… I… I let her die!" He doubled over, consumed by grief. And even though he could no longer see through his tears, could no longer hear; he was faintly aware of Denzel dropping to the ground opposite him, and something that felt like a warm consoling hand upon his shoulder.

* * *

"Man! I'm so hungry I could eat a cow!" Kadaj complained as his stomach growled in protest for what seemed to be the fiftieth time that hour. 

"Kraw?" Steven asked curiously, nosing under the teen's elbow.

"No, leave me alone, you retarded beast!" Kadaj yelped, pulling away from the bird as he led Floyd by the reins. The small group of five were now walking through the streets, with their chocobos in pursuit. "I said cow, not chicken!"

"He's not a chicken!" Yuffie frowned, rising to the bird's defense. "Just 'cause you don't like him all that much…"

"Nevermind. Forget cows and chocobos. I could eat _Yuffie_ I'm so hungry." The teen persisted, eyeing the ninja morbidly. "I reckon' it's the only way to shut her up. What say you, Vincent?"

"Uh, I don-" the man began, caught off guard.

"Fine!" Yuffie huffed, glaring moodily at the silver tressed teen. "If we're gonna start being cannibals then I elect we eat Vincent!"

"Why would y-?" the man in question shot her a strange look.

"He's not like wine! He doesn't get better with age!" Kadaj snorted.

"He'd be pretty good if he did." Riku laughed quietly.

"WHO WANTS TO SEE ME EAT VINCENT?!" Yuffie screamed, smiling triumphantly as the brothers blanched, understanding where she was going originally. Passersby on the streets shot them strange glances and hurried past.

"Nobody is eating anybody." Vincent muttered, his cheeks tinged a deep ruddy scarlet. "We're nearing a tavern. We can have a good meal and bed down there for the night."

"Sweet!" the elder teen whooped.

"Is there room service?" Yuffie quipped. "And little water buckets and little soaps and shampoos infused with lavender and little-"

"And little room service maids with little rockin' bodies!" Kadaj grinned broadly, wrapping an arm around his younger brother's shoulders.

"You really have a one-track mind, don't you?" Riku asked, bemused.

"Eh, well…" his brother cocked an eyebrow. "You can't honestly say you weren't thinking the same thing."

"Well, honestly, I wasn't." the Keybearer said slowly. He smiled at the other. "But I sure as Hell am now."

_WHUMP!_ Yuffie smacked them both respectively over the heads. "How degrading! Don't you talk about women like that! I hope the maids are ugly, just to spite you!"

"_Degrading_?! _I_ wasn't the one talking just three seconds ago about how Vincent-" Kadaj protested.

"And that's all we need to hear." The other man said quickly, ushering them along. The ninja at his side stuck her tongue out at Kadaj when her beau wasn't looking.

"Hey Vince?" she whined sweetly.

_Oh no, what now?_ "Hmn?"

"Can we shop around a little bit?"

"I think –"

"Awesome! Love ya! Bye!" she chirped, pecking him on the cheek and racing off through the crowd to a station of tents.

"Awe, Christ!" the oldest teen spat. "I guess that means we'll have to follow her then?" Vincent nodded. The other two groaned and let themselves be dragged off to find the hyperactive ball of sarcasm and joy. When the crowd around them grew thick enough, Riku felt a tug on his sleeve and he followed his brother away to another group of tents. Kadaj was snickering to himself as he lashed Floyd's reins to a pole, taking October from his brother and tying him up as well. The two giant birds chirped happily, nuzzling against their owners before bending over to drink from a trough.

"Someone has a soft spot for pink fluffy animals." Riku said dryly.

"Shut up! I do not!" his brother blushed, giving him a rueful look. "Floyd is just… " What was he going to say? He was fun? He was nice? "…Misunderstood. It's not his fault he's frikken' bubblegum pink." He finished lamely.

"Misunderstood, riiight." The younger teen nodded. "And October is suffering from manic depression." He said very seriously.

"Oi! Shut it you!" the katana user vented, disgruntled. And suddenly something bright and shiny caught his unnatural catlike eyes. "Hey, Riku look!" he whispered excitedly.

"I see a tent Kadaj. It's brown and has weird fruit hanging from it." His brother said plainly.

"Not _that_ tent. _That_ one!" He pointed to the tent beside it, this one with a yellow awning, stockpiled with apples and watermelon on one side, and wood carvings, knives, and jewelry on the other.

"The one with nobody… oh no." Riku stopped mid-sentence. But Kadaj was already halfway across the lane, looking around as nonchalantly as he could muster. "You are _NOT_! _Get back here_!" the Keybearer whispered harshly, an edge of desperation in his voice. But he knew well enough, there was no stopping his brother now. He sighed wearily, striding over to the applecart, knowing he'd regret this later. Looking up, he suddenly froze, forgetting entirely he was standing in the middle of the street.

Kadaj grinned to himself, looking over his prey. It was perfect. No one was anywhere near here, it was all too easy. Spying a particularly succulent looking fruit, he reached for it, fingers curled. _WHAP_! Flat, cold steel rapped against the back of his hand smartly. Nervously, he pulled his gaze slowly from the dagger to the eyes of a fierce woman.

"And what exactly are we doing, hmn?" she asked venomously.

* * *

Ohhh! Cliffhanger ending! lawlz... Hit the shiny button, please? You know you want to... 


	15. Reunion

**Jenova's Children **

**By Kawaii and Junsui**

**Author's Note:** Kawaii-Chan here! And first, this is a DAMN long chapter at 23 and a half pages long (so use the potty before if you have to!). I wrote the first part in late July, whilst visiting my (insane) family and the second part was written by Junsui throughout the month of August. Sorry for the month-long delay. We've been getting used to school, and we haven't really had time to work on it as of late, but we'll pick up soon. I can't beleive its been almost a year since we started this thing!!! O.o It was originally only supposed to be seven chapters and seventy pages long, but it has seemed to take on a will of its own, demanding character development. This has to be one of my favorite chapters so far, so I hope you enjoy!

**Chapter 15**

**Reunion**

Kadaj gave an unconcerned chortle, tossing his silver tresses with a jerk of his neck, "What does it look like I was doing?" He inquired, a grin curling onto his lips. The woman snarled fiercely, and with a flash of silver, her knife was a mere centimeter from Kadaj's jugular.

"Stealing." Snarled the woman, her hazel eyes glowing murderously, "Give me one reason-" She whispered coldly, raven tresses spilling over one eye as a grin with insanity to rival Kadaj's spread onto her face; realization dawned on the teen's face, dark pupils shrinking into slits as he gasped slightly, "Why I shouldn't throw you down onto the ground and castrate you right here, you little thief?" The dark-haired woman twitched slightly, eliciting a startled squeak from Kadaj before she tossed her head, her obsidian locks flying behind one shoulder, laughing mirthfully, "I'm waiting."

"M-" Kadaj began in a tiny voice, "M-mom?!"

The woman sneered, tightening her grip around the handle of her dagger before her hazel orbs softened considerably and became as wide as saucers, her face relaxing as she reached up her left hand to cup his cheek, staring deeply into his emerald and azure orbs, "Ka... daj?"

Kadaj stared up at his mother, a small grin creeping up onto his face, "Uhh... hi?"

For a moment, Haruki Nonaka looked about to cry, her body going rigid as she began to tremble slightly, "Kadaj..." She whispered breathlessly, her hand sliding from his cheek.

And then it was all lost as she looked up at him with bloody murder in her eyes, "WHAT DO YOU MAN _'HI'_?!" Haruki dove for him with the knife, knocking down cartons of various fruits as she wrestled him to the ground, "KADAJ NONAKA, I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD, YOU LITTLE BASTARD!" The silver-tressed youth wrapped his hands around her wrist, attempting to wrestle the knife away from him.

"Haha-ue-_ Haruki_." He quickly corrected himself, unsurprised to find the amount of strength the woman held, "Put the knife _down_."

"I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!" Haruki screamed, tears streaking down her cheeks and falling onto his chest as she fought for control over the dagger, "DAMN IT, KADAJ!"

The knife clattered to the ground, and the dark-tressed woman wrapped her arms around her son, burying her face into his chest a she began to sob uncontrollably.

"H-Haruki... stop crying... _please_ stop crying." Kadaj quietly begged, sitting up and bringing his mother with him, ignoring the scrutinizing glares from the various villagers around him. Riku slowly walked up to them, his eyes large in disbelief, having recognized his mother walking up towards the stand several minutes earlier.

"STOP CRYING?!" Howled the woman, pulling away from Kadaj and starring at him with red-rimmed hazel orbs before she broke down into another round of tears, "My baby... my Kadaj is home..."

"Mom..." Kadaj hissed through gritted teeth, his face taking on the hue of a tomato, "Stop it."

"Is everything alright here?" A deep voice inquired. Three pairs of eyes snapped towards Vincent, whom was standing with his arms around a recently apprehended Yuffie, squirming wildly within his grasp, squawking indignantly.

Haruki used a handful of a pale violet shawl she was wearing to wipe her eyes as she climbed up off of the ground, clutching Kadaj's arm in a metal death grip.

"Yes, everything is wonderful!" She beamed pleasantly, pulling her son into her arms and squeezing him tightly.

"_Can't- breathe-_" Kadaj choked, struggling violently. Haruki reluctantly let him go as he composed himself, still red-faced, "Yeah. Haruki, this is Vincent and his..." Kadaj paused, "His... girlfriend... Yuffie. They've been traveling with us."

"Us?" Inquired the woman, adjusting her knitted shawl, "Who's us?"

Kadaj's eyes widened and he smirked, throwing an arm around Riku, "Haruki, this is-"

"Ritsuka." Riku interjected quickly, "I've been traveling with Kadaj."

His elder brother's eyes snapped to his, knitted in confusion. Riku shook his head slightly.

"Well, it's nice to meet all of you." Haruki nodded towards the three of them, her hazel orbs coming to rest on Riku, whom shivered slightly, "I'm sure my son's given you plenty of trouble."

"Oh, don't worry, he has." Yuffie smirked, finally ceasing her struggling and leaning against Vincent, his arms wrapped around her midsection.

Kadaj growled furiously at the ninja before Haruki smiled and walloped him upside the head.

"And Miss, I'd like to pay for the stolen fruit." Vincent sighed, reaching into his cape and withdrawing a handful of Gil. Haruki made a face at him.

"Oh, no. Kadaj didn't even steal one, it's fine." She raised her hands up, shaking her head.

"I mean the fruit my fiancé stole while you weren't looking." The raven-tressed man explained, looking calmly down at Yuffie, who smiled up innocently at him.

"Who, me?" Cooed the ninja. Haruki huffed and glared at the young woman, snatching the Gil from Vincent's outstretched hand as she muttered darkly under her breath. She turned back towards her cart and shot a grumpy look over her shoulder.

"So, are you going to just stand there, or are you going to help me close for the night?" The woman quipped, beginning to pack the fruit away into baskets. The rest of the group awkwardly helped her to pack up the various fruits and load up the knives and wooden trinkets into a secure storage compartment below the counter. Riku then went to fetch the chocobos; after this, the dark-haired woman threw a tarp over the top of the stand, signaling her departure to the nearby stalls with a quick yell before she began to lead the quartet down the street.

"This is where Cloud grew up, isn't it?" Yuffie inquired, glancing around at the small buildings that made up the Nebelheim market.

"Yes, I believe so." Vincent nodded in reply as they turned a corner to enter a neighborhood.

"Hey, Kadaj, did you and Cloud known each other when you were kids?" Quipped the ninja as they came to a two-story house painted cream with a brown trim. Haruki wordlessly took the reigns of the three chocobos from Riku and lead them around the back, "It would be weird if you did."

"Can't say I did." Kadaj shrugged, "He probably lived on the other side of town, over by the Shin-Ra mansion."

At this, Vincent's face darkened, and Yuffie glanced to her beau worriedly, "Uhh-"

Haruki then walked around from the back, slipping in front of the group before she jammed her key into the slightly rusted knob resting on the wood of her front door, grumbling darkly at the small piece of metal before she ruthlessly kicked the door open with her foot, met with insanely whiny mewling.

"Oh, my babies, my babies!" The woman cooed affectionately, unceremoniously dropping several baskets of fruit on the hallway table next to several pictures, one of which was a wedding photo of a young Haruki and a dark-haired youth. The next was of the same two, Haruki cuddling a swaddled infant and the man holding a grumpy toddler in his arms, on the other side of the basket was a picture of two muddy toddlers laughing, and the last was of a raven-haired Kadaj, barely twelve, flipping off the camera with a huge grin.

Riku stopped to glance at the pictures sadly before his attention was directed to Haruki, whom had gotten down onto her knees, three cats rubbing up against her, purring loudly. A fat, black cat waddled up to her, and the woman scratched it under the chin, muttering baby-talk to her beloved cats.

"Puddles?!" Kadaj gasped, spotting one of the cats that his mother was petting, "Oh my God, Puddles is still alive?!"

The elder teen dropped to his knees and snatched up a large-eyed Russian Blue, cuddling it to his chest. Yuffie cleared her throat as she started into the house alongside Vincent. The ninja smirked triumphantly as Kadaj dropped the gray cat, "Stupid cat..." He muttered; yet Riku could've sworn he caught his brother planting a quick kiss on the feline's head whilst he thought nobody was looking.

"So, I suppose you want dinner, seeing as my demon-spawn attempted to steal an apple not fifteen minutes ago." Sighed the woman as she stood, her cats still nuzzling her ankles.

"YAY FOOD!" Yuffie screamed, causing Vincent to flinch from the strength of her shriek.

"Thank you, that is a generous offer." The stoic man thanked the elder woman quietly. Haruki shrugged.

"Whatever – I just don't have anything to cook... however..." An evil glare formed in her eyes as she smirked in a way eerily similar to Kadaj, "I saw that retarded chocobo you had."

"Steven's only dyslexic!" Yuffie corrected quickly, hopping up and down.

"Whatever." Haruki rolled her hazel eyes, waving away the correction with a single hand, her satanic grin returned a split second later, "But, I think you three-" She gestured towards Vincent, Kadaj, and Riku, "Should meet me in the backyard in a couple of minutes." She turned to Yuffie, throwing one arm around her, "Do you know how to cook?"

"What kinda question is that?!" The ninja huffed as the elder woman dragged her into the kitchen.

Silence ensued before Kadaj was sure that his mother was out of earshot.

"Riku!" He hissed, crossing the room to his younger brother, "Why didn't you tell her who you were?!"

"I-" The younger teen began, shifting his weight foot-to-foot nervously, "I don't know. It just didn't seem like the right time..." He trailed of awkwardly before Kadaj heaved a sigh, shaking his head.

Riku blinked, feeling something rub up against his leg. His blue and green eyes dropped to the ground, where a fluffy cat was starring up at him expectantly.

"Purrow?" She trilled, pawing at his leg imploringly. Riku scooped up the Maine Coon, scratching her behind the ear as she began to purr contently.

"I guess love of animals runs in the family." Riku commented as he watched the fat cat waddle up to Vincent, whom blinked at the cat. The cat blinked back, expelling a loud, "Mow?" before Vincent nudged it away with his foot.

"Love of animals?" Kadaj snorted, rolling his eyes, "Mom HATES every living thing – accept cats. She _WORSHIPS_ cats."

"Oh, that's not weird or anything." Riku muttered sarcastically before smirking, "Now I know where you get it from."

"'It'?" Kadaj inquired as Vincent started towards the back door, the fat cat waddling after him, "What's 'it'?"

"Your general insanity." Riku chuckled. To his surprise, Kadaj didn't try to punch him. The elder teen shook his head slowly.

"NOBODY." He said, "NOBODY is insane as Haruki."

"Aren't we supposed to meet her out in the backyard?" Vincent asked; the two teens turned towards him, to find that he was holding the fat cat under one arm like a sack of potatoes as it purred and drooled.

Kadaj and Riku simultaneously burst into laughter as Vincent glanced away from them, "It wouldn't stop following me." He muttered, setting the cat on the floor.

"Looks like Yuffie has some competition, Vincent." Riku laughed as he started towards the back door, the two others not far behind.

Kadaj slid the door open, groaning grumpily, "What the fuck? She tore out the swing set!"

He walked up to a small pen where Haruki had gone to tie up the chocobos while the others waited in the front and gave it a dirty look, "Geez, we used to have so much fun on there... Loz and Yazoo used to come over and we'd play all sorts of weird games back here and do all sorts of stupid stuff on the swing set... Haruki would come out and yell at us. Do you remember?"

Riku squinted, attempting to recall the memories of his early childhood. He vaguely recalled going flying through the air and landing painfully in a patch of dirt, "Um, kinda... did I ever launch myself off of the swing?"

Kadaj threw his head back and released a bark-like laugh, "We used to have contests to see who could go the farthest. You used to get jealous because we said you were too little to play. The one time we finally let you play, you flew farther than any of us ever did – but you fell and got all scraped up – Haruki was _so _pissed..."

"Wow..." Riku sniggered as the sliding glass door hissed open and his mother stepped out of the house.

"Okay, dinner..." The raven-tressed woman mused softly as she opened the pen and grabbed Steven's reigns, leading him out into the yard, "Will be oven-fried chocobo." She shoved the leather reigns into Kadaj's hands, "Cut it up good, Kadaj. I have to go check to see if that ninja's blown up the kitchen yet."

And with that, she curtly plodded back into the house, slamming the door behind her. Vincent and Riku stared at Kadaj. Kadaj stared at Steven. Steven starred at a tree and attempted to charge it, nearly strangling himself on the reigns that Kadaj still held. Kadaj walked the large bird over to the tree, tying its reins to a low branch before he extracted Shouba from the sheath that rested against his hip, holding the double-bladed katana out at arm's length.

"Well, what're you waiting for?" Riku inquired, raising an eyebrow, "I thought you hated Steven."

Kadaj bit his lip, starring at the bird as it repeatedly rammed its head into the ground, "Well, yeah... but..."

"But what?" The younger of the two brothers quipped, folding his arms.

"But... I kinda feel... I dunno... sorry for it." Kadaj mumbled, shifting his weight foot-to-foot nervously.

"Come on! It's just a bird!" Riku heaved an exasperated sigh, gesturing towards the ebony bird.

"Fine then! If it's just a fucking bird, then why don't YOU kill it?" Snarled the elder-teen, thrusting Shouba into Riku's grasp. Riku blinked down at the sword and then looked at the chocobo, which was now attempting to eat the tree that it was tied to.

"Hell no." He shoved the blade back into his brother's hands, "I've only killed Heartless and Nobodies. I don't want to have a living creature's blood on my hands."

"Grow a backbone! You weren't complaining when you were slicing up Cloud-"

"JERKOFF! That was completely fucking uncalled for!"

"You were all but implying that I _like_ cutting living things up!"

"Well don't you?"

"Asshole! You kill the fucking bird!"

"No, she told YOU to do it!"

"I'm feeling generous today!"

"You're getting soft, Kadaj!"

"WHAT?! You know what? Fuck you. Fuck you with something HARD and SANDPAPER-Y!"

"Well fuck you, too! Now kill the goddamn bird or I'm pretty sure we'll starve!"

"I-"

_BANG_.

Kadaj never got to finish. Steven fell to the ground, dead, three bullets embedded in his tiny, gray brain; his tongue lolling out of his beak in a grotesquely comical way as his body gave one final involuntary twitch. Twin sets of eyes slowly traveled to Vincent, the silver-haired brothers agape as they starred at the red-clothed man, whom stood holding a smoking, triple-barreled gun, a mirthless smirk curled onto his face.

"Oh my God… You killed Steven..." Kadaj said quietly, still not believing his own words.

"You _bastard_!" Riku gasped.

* * *

"Yes." Vincent said quietly, closing his garnet orbs as he brought his hand back into his cloak, "Steven is dead."

"Thank you all so much for coming to help." Tifa looked around at her comrades affectionately, brushing a strand of brunette hair behind one ear.

"It was no trouble at all." A scarlet beast the vaguely resembled a lion of some sort said calmly, "Cid picked me up right after he talked to Vincent's group; he and Barrett decided to come to Edge after they heard what had been happening." The feline paused to study the thrashed landscape with a single, amber eye, "It's a good thing we came when we did."

"And I didn't want to waste a single second gettin' back to Marlene!" Barrett grinned, hitting his chest with a single fist, "Speakin' of, where is she?"

"She's back at the bar with Denzel and Loz." Cloud explained, rolling his shoulder, a large bandage wrapped around his upper arm and several scratches upon his other showed his damages from his and Tifa's fight with the shadow raptors.

"LOZ?!" Barrett, Cid, and Nanaki started, Barett's mouth pulled into a snarl, Cid cracking his knuckles, and Nanaki bristling with a feline growl deep in his throat.

"YOU LEFT MY BABY GIRL WITH THAT MOTHERFU-" Barrett began, his hands balled into tight fists, dark eyes shining with anger.

"Barrett!" Tifa quickly interjected, placing her small, strong hands firmly on his shoulders, "Barrett, Loz's changed! He loves the kids, and I know that he'd protect them with his life!"

"He better or I'll-" The dark skinned man growled, but was quickly interrupted by Cloud.

"Barrett. Loz wouldn't hurt Marlene." The towhead said, Barrett heaved a grumpy sigh, folding his arms angrily, "Now, we should get back to the bar to restock on potions."

"I also want to let everyone know that we're okay." Tifa nodded earnestly, "We should get going."

The rest of the group nodded in agreement a they started their trek down the road.

"Hot damn." Cid commented darkly, expelling a breath of gray smoke as he spoke, surveying the damage with bloodshot blue eyes, "Sure took a toll on this area."

"I hope everyone's okay... I haven't even seen Yazoo since we lost him in the center of the city..." Tifa mumbled, chewing on the corner of her thumb nervously. Suddenly, a low, feline growl sounded from Nanaki. Four pairs of eyes landed on the crimson beast as the hair from his long mane began to stand on end.

"Something's wrong." Nanaki growled, flexing his yellowing claws as they scraped against the asphalt.

Tifa gasped and broke out in a cold sprint towards Seventh Heaven. The rest of the group tore after her in a foreboding silence; when they finally reached the brunette, she was standing stock-still in front of the bar, auburn eyes wide as saucers.

"Tifa! What's-?" Cloud began, skidding to a stop beside her. The woman did not reply. Cloud followed her gaze towards the bar and slowly shook his head.

"Oh no..." The flaxen-spiked man muttered. A second later, Tifa was running towards the door, which had been knocked off of its hinges, crying the names of her adopted children and comrade. Cloud followed, knowing that the rest of the group wasn't far behind.

"What's goin' on?! Is Marlene okay?!" Barrett yelled as he followed Cloud and Tifa into the bar. Tifa stood before him trembling violently.

"Tifa..." Cloud whispered as he extended a hand towards her; the woman merely fell to her knees and began to sob violently. Cloud froze.

"MARLENE!" Barrett howled violently, his thunderous steps shaking the floorboards as he dropped to his daughter's side. The child was lying peacefully on the wooden floor, her long hair blending in seamlessly with the brown grain, curling in cherubic ringlets. Her face was beginning to loose color and was as ivory as the single lily clasped in her hands crossed over her chest, obviously having been placed there by one of the several grievers sitting upon a nearby couch.

"Marlene..." The dark man whispered, sliding his massive hands below his child. Her head lulled backwards, chestnut locks still brushing the floor, her arms slid uncrossed, the single lily falling to the floor as Barrett held her to his chest, a single tear staining a dark streak down his cheek. Barrett then gritted his teeth, holding the limp form of his daughter to his chest with one arm. The dark-skinned man threw back his head, roaring angrily to the heavens as he extended his metallic fist; it began to come apart at the joints, re-forming itself into a massive gun, from which he began to rapidly fire dozens of electric bullets at the ceiling. Cloud grasped his friend's shoulders, attempting to calm him, but his words were lost as Barrett threw him off violently, the gun at the end of his arm becoming a hand once more. Still clutching Marlene to his chest, he lumbered across the room to where Loz, Denzel, and Yazoo were sitting upon the couch, the latter obviously having just arrived. Denzel was sobbing into Yazoo's lap as the long-tressed man stroked his hair, tears coursing down his cheeks. Loz sat next to them, his face buried in his hands, shaking slightly with the last of his tears long since cried away.

"YOU!" Barrett spat reaching out and grabbing Loz around the neck, he pulled him from the couch, hanging him a good yard off of the floor. Loz dangled there without a struggle, his eyes still focused on the dead child in Barrett's arms, "YOU LET THIS HAPPEN!"

"NO!" Suddenly, Denzel threw himself from the couch, grasping Barrett's massive, tattooed arm in his small hands, "NO! DON'T TAKE HIM, TOO!"

Barrett starred down at the young boy, whom attempted to shake the large man's arm, sobbing and shaking his head. He glanced away from Denzel, unceremoniously dropping Loz to the floor, where he lay crumpled in defeat. Denzel gasped for air, expelling a shuddering breath as he wrapped his arms around himself.

Tifa looked up from the ground, her eyes still red with tears, and struggled towards her son, wrapping her arms around him, bringing him to her chest. The brunette glanced up, feeling a heavy hand on her shoulder. Cloud crouched down beside his future wife and son, and pulled Tifa's head to his chest, brushing his lips against her forehead. The woman could've sworn she saw unshed tears in his dewy orbs before he did so.

Even Cid was affected – the old pilot having retreated to a corner, facing away from the group to hide his tears. Nanaki raised his head; ears drooped, and expelled a haunting howl as the lament of the eternally sleeping child before them.

* * *

"This is the most delicious meal I've ever eaten!" Yuffie squealed, helping herself to another serving of mashed potatoes, "And I even pealed the potatoes myself! Aren't you proud of me, Vinnie?"

"Yes, Yuffie, I'm very proud of you." Vincent said softly, patting the ninja on the leg, "But I think you have Mrs. Nonaka to thank for this delicious meal."

"Please, call me Haruki." The raven-tressed woman corrected him, waving a single hand nonchalantly.

"Haruki, you have no idea how much I missed your cooking." Kadaj said before ravenously tearing a piece of oven-fried Steven off of its bone with his back teeth, "Ih ah nevah ee oo goo iffout urr-"

"Chew and swallow before you talk, Kadaj." Haruki grumbled, sending a venomous glare towards her eldest son, whom gulped.

"Yes, ma'am." He squeaked, recoiling into his seat. Riku smirked at his brother, never expecting him to be frightened by anybody, let alone his own mother.

"So, Ritsuka." Began the woman, it took Riku a moment to realize she was addressing him; he turned to face her, "When did you meet Kadaj?"

"Uh... awhile ago, in Edge. Just, you know, in passing. Met him at a bar, he was looking for a traveling partner..." Riku scratched at the back of his neck sheepishly with a shrug. Haruki settled her eyes on Kadaj, a glowing smile on her face.

"Oh, Kada-chu!" Cooed the woman, said son looked up from where he was inhaling buttered noodles, "I'm so glad to know you've finally gotten laid! I just knew you were gay, with letting Loz and Yazoo dress you up like a girl all the time-"

"MOM!" Kadaj stood up from his seat, his face so bright red that it was glowing with embarrassment, half-chewed noodles falling from his mouth. Yuffie was howling with laughter across the table, Vincent looking like he was attempting to contain a smirk, "I AM NOT GAY! RI- RITSUKA'S NOT MY BOYFRIEND!"

"Keep telling yourself that." Haruki smirked cattily, tossing her dark hair. She then looked at Riku, whom had all but shrunken into his seat, his face the shade of a cherry, his ears bright red as well, before the woman burst into giggles. Riku glanced up at her with cat-like eyes, "Oh, I'm sorry!" She beamed, "It's just – you looked so much like my husband just then... his ears used to get all red, too."

"Your husband?" Riku inquired, now becoming interested.

"Yes, I had a husband quite awhile ago, in SOLDIER." A melancholy smile formed on her face, hazel eyes misted with emotion, "He died, however... I used to have another son, too." Riku froze, "His name was Yukio, and he was a blessed little angel. He looked like me, when this one over here looks like his father." Haruki reached over to muss Kadaj's hair, as the silver-tressed teen grumbled in embarrassment, "Yukio went missing when he was very young." Riku's mother explained softly, "They said he died, but I have a feeling that he's out there, somewhere."

"I-" Riku began, but was quickly cut off.

"This meat is REALLY good, Haruki!" Yuffie cried, waving around a piece of chocobo on her fork, Vincent ducked to avoid the flying utensil, "What kind of meat is it?"

"Steven." Kadaj replied, taking a large bite.

A slight pause.

"NOOOOOOO! STEEEEEEVEN!" Cried the small ninja, whom resumed eating the chocobo seconds later, "Why must you taste so gooooooooooood?"

"O-kay?" Haruki said slowly, blinking at Yuffie, before beaming around at the table, "I hope you all have room for dessert!"

"It isn't Floyd, is it?" The younger woman inquired darkly.

"No, actually, its apple cake." The elder woman explained, standing up from the table to fetch said cake from the kitchen.

"So, what do you think of Haruki's cooking?" Kadaj smirked, folding his arms across his chest, after flipping his hair out of his eyes.

"I think-" Yuffie began, her face screwed up unpleasantly, "I think I'm gonna be sick."

She then sprinted for the kitchen as fast as her legs could carry her (which is pretty damn fast, mind you), hand pressed firmly over her mouth. Vincent sighed and stood from his seat, silently following after his beau with a toss of his scarlet cloak.

"Maybe it wasn't in our best interest to eat Steven." Riku mumbled, poking at what was left of the chocobo with his fork.

"I feel fine." Kadaj shrugged as Haruki brought out the apple cake, "Hell yes!" He dove for the dessert as soon as his mother set it down before him, only to have his hand slapped away.

"Guests first." She snarled at her son, wrapping him over the head with the back of her hand. Kadaj rubbed the offended spot on his head, grumbling to himself, "Here you go, Ritsuka." Haruki beamed, "The Nonaka family award-winning apple cake."

"You win honorable mention one year at the apple festival and suddenly it's award-winning." Kadaj muttered, attacking the cake that his mother set before him.

"Well, it doesn't seem like you're complaining." Beamed the woman; Riku laughed and used the side of his fork to remove a sliver of the cake, bringing it to his mouth.

"Wow!" He grinned at his mother, "This_ is_ really good!"

"Don't sound surprised." Haruki giggled, her hazel orbs coruscating softly as she reached across the table to lightly pat his hand before collecting the dirty dishes from the table. Riku and Kadaj finished their cake in semi-silence, the later making small snarfing noises as he inhaled the cake.

"I think I'm gonna go talk to Mom." Riku said as soon as his mother disappeared into the kitchen.

Kadaj swallowed, "Want me to go with you?" He asked.

Riku shook his head, "No, I'm just going to go in there and wait until Vincent and Yuffie leave."

"Okay." Nodded the silver-tressed teen before he eyed Riku's unfinished cake hungrily, "Can I have that?"

"Hell no!" Riku smirked, snatching the cake off of the table and bringing it with him into the kitchen. He heard Kadaj's faint curse as he slipped into the kitchen, and immediately wished he hadn't.

Yuffie was retching into the sink, Vincent awkwardly patting her back, while Haruki bustled around the kitchen, extracting a bag of herbs from the cupboard before she shoved a mug into Riku's free hand, taking the plate of cake from him.

"Go over to the fridge and fill this with water." She directed, plodding over to the counter, where she pulled a tea strainer from one of the drawers, "Here, I'll make you some tea, dear." Haruki added to Yuffie, whom clutched the rim of the sink, panting, as Vincent turned on the water to flush away the sick, "This kind really helps the morning sickness."

Riku pulled the cup away from the fridge, blinking several times. Haruki seemed to cause a lot of awkward silences.

"M-morning sickness?" Yuffie squeaked, "Isn't that in the morning?"

"Morning sickness, evening sickness, roll-down-the-window-and-barf-all-over-the-side-of-the-car-sickness." Haruki numbered off nonchalantly, "The kid doesn't exactly care when they make you sick."

"_Kid_?" Whispered the ninja, her gray orbs the size of saucers_- flying_ saucers, "B-but... I've just been sick lately! It's... stomach problems..."

"Uh-huh." Haruki rolled her eyes, "How long have you had them."

"A couple of weeks, but-" Yuffie's eyes darted towards Vincent, whom was standing beside her with an odd look on his face, "Vinnie? Are you okay?"

"Oh, he'll be like that for awhile." The elder woman sighed, taking the cup from Riku, "He'll start screaming like a maniac in about an hour, give or take a few minutes."

"I can't be- I'm not-" The ninja struggled for words, fidgeting nervously before she stopped her gray orbs resting on Vincent, who's brow was furrowed, "You knew, didn't you?"

He glanced away, dark tresses falling over his eyes. Yuffie reached out and grasped his upper arm.

"You knew from my scent or something... the reason you made me go back to Hollow Bastion... why you didn't want me to come with you here..." Her face softened as she loosened her grip on his arm, "Gawd, that's really weird..."

Vincent spun around and pulled Yuffie into a passionate kiss, threading his fingers through her short tresses as he pressed her against the rim of the sink. Riku glanced away sheepishly, embarrassed to have intruded on such a private moment.

The two broke, Vincent grasping Yuffie's hand, and giving her an imploring look, "Come on." He said softly, tugging her towards the kitchen door. Yuffie smiled softly, and nodded, following after him before she paused at the doorway, "Haruki," She began, glancing over her shoulder, "How did you know that it wasn't just-"

"Oh that's simple, dear!" Beamed Riku's mother, popping the mug into the microwave, "You're glowing! Now, are you going to need me to bring you the tea, or are you going to be 'otherwise occupied'?"

Yuffie glanced at Vincent sheepishly, "Uhh..."

"I'll make you some more later." Haruki beamed with an understanding nod before the couple disappeared. The woman sighed nostalgically, traipsing across the kitchen, where she began to clean out the sink, "Ah, young love." She glanced over her shoulder at Riku, "Would you like to help?"

"Sure." He nodded, crossing to kitchen to the sink, "What do you need me to do?"

"Just scrape the food off of the plates and throw it in the trash." She directed, using her head to gesture towards the stack of plates.

"Okay." Riku nodded, and began to do as he was told.

"So, what do you think of Kadaj?" Quipped the woman wistfully.

"He's... something else." Smirked the teen, feeling slightly guilty that Steven was being thrown away instead of buried, "But he's a good guy."

"Are you sure you're not bedding him?" Haruki inquired, raising a suspicious eyebrow, Riku gagged, "I won't be mad or anything, I just want to know."

"N-no! We're just friends, I swear!" Riku shook his head so rapidly that it was a silver blur.

"Okay, good. I was hoping for grandchildren." Sighed Riku's mother, taking the scraped plates from him, "You said you met in a bar?"

"Seventh Heaven – it's run by Tifa Lockheart and Cloud Strife, you heard of them?" Riku explained, standing next to Haruki as she began to scrub a plate. The woman threw back her head and laughed, grinning at Riku.

"_Heard_ of them? They're _legends_ around here!" She shook her head, grasping towel off of the counter to wipe the plate dry, "What were you doing there?"

"I came looking." Riku whispered, Haruki stopped drying the plate, her form rigid, "At first, I didn't know why I even came. But... then I met Kadaj and I realized that I was searching for something... my family."

"We-well..." Whispered the woman, bowing her head slightly, "I hope you find them."

"Haruki." Riku said softly, setting a heavy hand on her small shoulder, "I already found them." The woman was silent, Riku continued, "My name isn't Ritsuka."

There was the sound of tinkling china as the plate fell to the bottom of the sink and Haruki took a shaking breath, her body trembling slightly, "Y-Yukio?"

"Yeah..." Whispered the teen, feeling a dull pounding behind his eyes as the tears threatened to fall.

Haruki slowly turned to him, strands of obsidian falling over her hazel eyes as she reached for him, cupping his face in her callused hands. She used her thumbs to push away his lustrous tresses, hazel linked with green and blue, "Yukio..." The woman whispered, and only then did Riku realize how old she was; years of grieving and pain rested on the fluid surface of her eyes, thin lines covering her pale face. Haruki studied his face, ghosting the tips of her fingers across his cheeks as she trembled slightly, "My sweet little Yukio... I can't believe..." The dam broke, and she threw herself into his chest, trembling, sobbing, and gasping for air, "Yukio's home... Kadaj is home... our sons came home, Koishii..." The woman whispered under her breath as Riku wrapped his arms around her, burying his face into the crook of her neck.

"Mom..." He whimpered, feeling himself begin to succumb to his emotions. Haruki pulled away from him, smiling fondly as she pet his cheek with the rough back of her hand.

"Look at you..." The obsidian-haired woman sobbed softly, "You're so handsome... oh, Yukio..." She looked him up and down, smiling slightly, "You have your father's build, and his beautiful eyes-" The woman frowned, "Yukio... what happened to your eyes? They aren't ice blue anymore... Kadaj's too..."

"We'll explain later, mom." Riku matched her gentle smile, "I'm... I'm just so happy to be home."

"I'm happy to have you home, Yukio." Haruki sighed, brushing her lips against his forehead, "This is such a miracle... my boys... my sweet little boys..."

* * *

"Aw, wow!" Kadaj grinned, launching himself from the doorway into a neatly-made bed, burying his face into the soft pillows, "She's actually kept my room clean! The bed sheets are fresh and everything!"

Riku stepped into the room after his elder brother, brushing a lock of silver hair behind his ear as he looked around. The wooden paneling on the walls and floors were the same as the rest of the house; accept Kadaj seemed to have taken to decorating it to his liking. There were three 'Murder Will' posters tacked haphazardly to the walls around the windows, as well as a small TV set on top of a waist-height wardrobe next to a picture of a very young black-haired Kadaj, a redheaded Yazoo, and a brunette Loz in front of a Ferris wheel of some sort. A broken-looking game console rested on top of the TV, controllers lying beside it, a stack of DVD's and video games was placed neatly next to the television. On the other side of the room was a tall bookcase, on which Riku recognized a thick leather volume emblazoned with three golden letters 'POE', several Shakespeare novels, various mangas, and an out-of-place magenta novel. Riku furrowed his brow and crossed the room, puling the book out of the dark wooden case.

"_Whispered Heart Shattered_?" He inquired, raising an eyebrow at the picture of a young blonde woman, her hair fanned out behind her in the arms of a tan young man on the front, Riku turned to Kadaj, whom was attempting to get the TV started up, "I didn't know you read romance novels."

Kadaj bristled, dashing across the room in several steps, and yanked the book from Riku's grasp, "What the hell? Yazoo lent me this ages ago." The elder teen glared at his brother's smirk, "I didn't _borrow_ it! He MADE me take it!" He shoved the book back into the case, grumbling darkly. Riku turned to the television where _Lab Coats_ was on the comedy channel and made himself comfortable on his brother's old bed.

"Hey!" Snapped Kadaj, tossing himself onto the bed once more and shoving Riku over, "This is MY bed! You get the window bed, jerkoff."

"Well, I'm watching TV here." Riku retorted, grabbing a pillow and using it to prop himself up, "Now shut up, I wanna see what happened with DJ and Kirk. I missed the last couple of episodes."

Kadaj muttered several unkind things under his breath before snatching up a pillow as well, laughing at one of the show's jokes. Moments later, the door opened, and Haruki plodded in, carrying a blanket and a pillow.

"I hope you don't mind using the window bed, Yukio." She said to Riku, placing the linen down on said window bed, "We only have one guest room and your friends seem to be using that."

"TMI, Haruki." The eldest brother huffed; his mother crossed the room and used both of her hands to ruffle their hair. Riku smiled at her, his grin being returned ten fold.

"Well, it's how you two came to be on this planet." Haruki shrugged nonchalantly, Kadaj turned bright red, one eye twitching.

"MOM!" He cried, digging his fingers into his pillow.

"Well, it's true!" She huffed, placing her hands firmly on her hips, "Now, you two get good sleep, okay?" The woman bent down to peck each of them on the cheek, pushing dark tresses out of her face as she did so, "And don't stay up too late!"

"Christ, woman!" Kadaj growled, "We're not kids anymore."

"Get to sleep early, Kadaj, or I'll wake you up at four with a gong." Haruki threatened as a retort, "Good night, boys."

"'Night." Kadaj said, directing his attention towards the TV.

"Sleep well." Riku smiled with a small nod. Haruki smiled fondly at her boys before she turned on her heel and plodded out of the room.

* * *

Riku was standing inside of Aerith's church, blinking in the brilliantly pure white light around him. Flower petals slowly drifted from the heavens in shades of ivory and pastel yellow along with long streaks of emerald rain. He turned slightly to see Marlene kneeling in the nearby flower patch. The young girl raised green eyes to meet his and smiled serenely, waving a cherubic hand. Riku smiled back, waving to her and extending his and towards the sky. A flower petal slowly drifted onto his palm and burst into flame. He pulled his hand back to his chest, as if struck, and felt his eyes widen as all the flower petals drifting around him spontaneously combusted, the cool rain falling turning jet black and leaving dark, ugly stains upon his skin.

Riku looked up towards Marlene, to find her gone. In her place was a beautiful woman with a long braid of chestnut tresses, beautiful emerald orbs wide with shock. She was resting on the tip of a massive katana held in Riku's hands. He pulled the sword back, letting the beautiful, pink-clad woman fall into the flames which burst into life around her. Riku raised his hands, finding them large and clad in worn, black-leather gloves before he suddenly looked up into his own reflection.

He was Sephiroth.

* * *

Jolting awake with a gasp, Riku's eyes darted around the room. Finding that he was safe within Kadaj's own bedroom, he fell back into the soft window bed, running his hand through his hair, which was matted with sweat.

'_It was just a dream_.' Riku told himself, his chest slowly rising as he took in a breath of cool air, '_Just a dream._'

Yet something unnerved the silver-tressed teen and caused him to stand, crossing the room to his brother's bed.

"Kadaj..." Riku whispered, hovering over the bed, "Kadaj?" He repeated, raising his voice, Riku poked the lump in the bed, only to find that it was a bundle of sheets. Riku's heart began to palpitate and the teen recalled the time he'd been unable to sleep without his elder brother's presence.

Riku crossed the room and pushed open the door with an elongated squeak, slowly starting into the hallway. The bathroom door directly across from Kadaj's bedroom was open, and the lights were out, meaning that the elder teen wasn't using the bathroom. Riku passed up the next bedroom, recognizing Vincent and Yuffie's hushed voices lightly conversing (Riku thanked God that the voices weren't doing _other_ things). He then came to a door at the end of the hallway, poking his head in.

"Haruki?" He whispered, to his surprise, a silver head slowly rose from the bed.

"What're you doing in here? You didn't come to sleep with Mom, did you?" Kadaj inquired sleepily.

"Look who's talking!" Riku hissed in a whisper, attempting not to wake the woman. Riku knew that he'd be able to see Kadaj blushing if he had been able to see details in the dark.

"Yeah... so what?" The elder boy grumbled.

"Stop talking." Haruki's groggy voice said as she shifted in place, throwing back a corner of the bed. Riku stood in the doorway, stock-still, "Well?" The woman mumbled, squinting hazel eyes at the younger of her two sons, "Are you getting in?"

Riku stood for a moment before crossing the room and climbing into bed with his mother and brother, feeling ridiculously silly for a split second before the woman slid her arm under him and pulled him close. Riku shifted in bed, easily finding a comfortable spot in her warm embrace. He instantly began to drift off, the lull of his mother's warm, creamy scent helping him slip into a deep sleep, a content smile curled onto his face.

* * *

"What do want for breakfast this morning, Kadaaaa-chuuu?" Haruki crooned. This morning she seemed particularly bright and was donning a bright yellow apron over a pair of cargo pants and a black tank.

"MUFFINS!" Kadaj hooted, jumping the last six stairs and landing in a crouch. His mother glared doom at him.

"No!" she said disapprovingly, taking the opportunity to whack him over the head with a wooden spoon. "I'm not making you those, they take forever!"

"But-"

"We'll have apple waffles!" she announced suddenly cheery. Riku couldn't help but think how creepy her mood swings were.

"I have the strangest notion that we've been living off of waffles and pancakes…" he mused.

"Well after our big cereal manufacturer burned down, there's been a bit of a shortage of cereal – you know, Final Fantasy Flakes Co.?" Yuffie chirped.

"That's it! Cereal!" Kadaj yelped, rushing over to the pantry set beside the trash compactor. With a burst of gusto, he swung the doors open, devouring the contents with his eyes. "DUDE!" he exclaimed excitedly upon catching sight of a maroon box. He snatched it from the shelf, looking at it lovingly. "Unlucky Trinkets! I loved this cereal! And look! They _still_ have the special promotional purple telescope that turns the milk green. I wonder if it still works?" And then with inhuman speed, he zipped about the kitchen, pouring the milk and the strangely shaped pieces into a blue and white ceramic bowl almost simultaneously. He peered at it anxiously, turning from it, disturbed. "It turned black." He stated.

"That's probably because we've had that box since you were eight." Haruki beamed, wiping her hands on a dish towel.

"YOU'VE KEPT THIS BOX OF CEREAL FOR _TEN YEARS_?!" her son spat, shooting the bowl a deranged look. "It's a wonder I didn't eat it and _die_."

"Hey, I'm sentimental." His mother argued defensively.

"Sentimental?!" Kadaj exclaimed melodramatically. "That could've killed me or something!"

"Or at least given you the stomach flu or diarrhea, which you would certainly deserve you ungrateful-"

"Ya, ya." Kadaj waved her off sarcastically. "Do we have any other cereal?"

"We have Grape Oats." Haruki said huffily.

"Eww! Why do we have old person fo-OD!" he grunted as his mother chucked an orange at his head. "Well, we do!" he grumbled, rattling the box of raisins and corn flakes. "Let's see… what else. Captain Jack Crunch, Gimmicks, Chocolate Poofs-"

"OH! I WANT THOSE!" Yuffie shrieked. Vincent sighed dejectedly and sat her down at the table. With a look that screamed, "Oh God please help me, but I love her" at Kadaj, he reached a golden clawed hand in removing both Yuffie's Chocolate Poofs and a box simply labeled 'Death' with little chocolate chex mix like squares spilling over the front.

"Filled with angst in every bite!" the ninja said brightly as her fiancé sat beside her. Kadaj continued on his raid of the pantry. "Grain Crunchies – eww, Grape Oats – double eww, Glazed Flecks, Molasses Clusters of Grain, ooh, Retarded K, now with strawberries." He smiled absently and removed the box from the shelf.

"I was going to make a bad pun there, but you kinda already did it yourself." Yuffie called from her seat. "I mean, Retarded _K_. That explains a lot." The silver tressed teen shot her a scathing glare and returned to listing the stock of cereal his mother had collected over the years.

"Veggie Hoops." He said darkly, giving an involuntary shiver. "I remember when Loz and Yazoo made me eat those things-"

"I remember that! You started barfing like crazy, and then Yazoo had to hold your hair back for you. That was so cute. That's when I became sure that you were ga-"

"HARUKI!" Kadaj howled, starting to turn crimson. "Gah! Whoever made that abomination of a breakfast food should be shot. At the marketing agent who thought it would be a big hit should be shot _twice_." He spat vehemently. "And… what the hell?" he frowned. Extracting the box from the pantry, he stared blankly into the eyes of a portly man standing next to a horse. "_Heidigger Crunch_?" he asked, disbelievingly. Kadaj blinked hard. Shin-ra's overweight Head of the Peacekeeping Division still stared back at him.

"You think that's bad?" Haruki snorted as Yuffie and Vincent snickered into their bowls. "Only two months later they came out with Rufus Flakes."

"Wow, the world really has gone to Hell and back, hasn't it?" Riku laughed, snatching Kadaj's box of _Retarded K_ from him.

"Hey! Give me back my cereal!" his older brother whined.

"You have no idea." Haruki shook her head, talking over her son. "And to think! That bastard Sephiroth is the whole driving force behind it!" she growled, chopping her banana a little faster than necessary. There was an awkward pause, and Kadaj looked as though he'd been doused in ice cold water. Riku's stomach knotted up instantly, looking sheepishly at the floor as images of his nightmare sprang to the forefront of his mind.

"No." Vincent said quietly, briefly looking with sorrow and sympathy at the brothers. "Don't blame him. Blame Shin-ra. Blame the people who made him – who encouraged him – to be as he was. Yes, Shin-ra bit off more than they could chew, but it was irresponsible. And dangerous. To… to both mother and child. Imagine how different things could have been if Sephiroth was never born. We should appreciate what we have. We were lucky in those regards. It could have been anyone. It could have-"

"It could have been me." Kadaj whispered, tears undeniably welling up in the corners of his eyes. Angrily, he wiped them away, shrugging off his mother's gasp. Without looking at anyone, he sat down and started eating, finding the most interesting shapes his corn flakes made.

"What do you mean, Kadaj?!" Haruki persisted. He hadn't heard her the first two times she asked. He shook his head, silver hair splaying about his face. "Kada-" he shoved in a huge spoonful of dehydrated strawberries and flakes. Vincent scooted away from the table and everyone looked to him. He beckoned to Haruki and gave a look to Kadaj that simply said, "I've got this covered."

Kadaj cheered up a bit after breakfast. He had decided to show his little brother the house. Riku was surprised to find that there was a lot that he could remember, and with help from Kadaj, they relived several early memories. The two were laughing heartily by noon. "How many cats do we have?" Riku exclaimed as the Maine Coon rubbed up against his leg. It stared up at him expectantly.

"Mrr?" she asked, preening for him and arching her back affectionately.

"Oh, hey Tigerlily." Kadaj smiled, scooping the cat up in his arms. Vincent and Yuffie sat curled up across the room from them in the loveseat. The fat black cat was sprawled out in the older teen's lap.

"Hey Vincent! Vincent! The cat is drooling on me, and shedding, and… and _dandruff-ing_! Fix it. Uh… please?" Yuffie squirmed under the immense weight of the feline. The dark haired man smirked and reached back into the folds of his cape. "No! Don't shoot it!" she suddenly shrieked.

"Don't shoot my cat, you jerkoff!" Kadaj growled, dragging the lard away from the pair. "But you can shoot… _him_." He ushered, his voice dropping to sound evil and foreboding. A black cat crept out of the hall, glaring down the party. He sat pompously in the middle of the carpet, tail tucked around small white paws. "Hello, _Satan_."

"Satan?" Riku asked, amused.

"Not even joking. That's what we named him." Kadaj grimaced evilly. "Please Vincent. Help yourself. Salt him like they do to the possessed people in the movies or something. We actually only kept him because he looks nice on the front couch. Come to think of it, I think there's a taxidermist around here…"

"So, uh… There were other cats here too?"

"Ya, lessee, there's Tina." Kadaj began, indicating the black cat that lay drooling on the floor in a pool of her own flaky fur. "Satan, Tigerlily, and of course, Puddles." He said the last name with a dopey look on his face. Clearly the Russian Blue was his favorite.

"And who's this?" Riku asked, stroking an orange tabby that had squeezed out from under the couch. It had luxurious fur and pale green eyes. He fiddled around with the collar and checked the tag. "Henry" he read.

"Huh, I guess he's new. I've never seen him before." Kadaj mused, bending over to play with the cat, tickling its speckled belly. "Looks like an orange marmalade, and a young one too."

"Sorry to break up the menagerie here, but…" the two silver haired teens looked up at Vincent. "… haven't you even noticed Cait Sith wasn't here?"

"WOAH!" the elder teen gasped, sitting back on his heels. "Dude! Dude… where _is_ Cait Sith?"

"He's at Shin-ra Manor." The man's velvety voice dropped. "I told him we'd meet up with him today. So, if you wouldn't mind? I believe there's some things there you may find interesting."

* * *

"HACHOO!" the sneeze echoed hauntingly through the grand old manor, filling the large rooms with its sound. Dust coated everything like a thick cottony layer of clouds. The dark wooden floorboards creaked and groaned ominously, half a staircase already crumbled. Heavy velvet curtains lined each room, adding to the somber feel. Kadaj fingered a candlestick; silver, but tarnished with melted wax encasing its side. Its match lay in two halves on the floor.

"Well this place has been through the ringer." Riku commented dryly, edging his way around a rotten series of floorboards.

"You don't say." His elder brother rolled his eyes. "So uh, why did we go through the tiny side door from the courtyard? I mean there was kinda HUGE FRONT DOOR." He asked skeptically.

"Just watch. Stay here." Vincent said by means of reply. The two brothers shot each other questioning glances, then turned to watch the dark man slowly stalk into a large formal entry. In mere split seconds, there was a faint scuttling sound and Vincent swung out a leg and ducked, using the momentum to swing around in a low crouch. There was a loud bang and then a sick crackling sound, and a muffled crash.

"What the bloody hell?!" Kadaj exclaimed, racing over to the now erect man. "What – eww. What _is_ that thing?" His lip curled back in disgust at the slumped iridescent shape in the corner, draped in heavy velvet that tore from the remainder of the window covering. It spasmed, then lay still.

"A bug." Vincent replied calmly, turning to the room. Indeed it was a bug; a glistening black beetle the size of a small Labrador, with mechanical gears ensnaring the entire carapace, wires creeping over the lacquered shell forming shining blue and silver spirals. A shining visor was welded into what would have been the front, now fizzing with static, sparks of electricity erupting at the joints and meeting each other halfway like lightening strikes.

"I'm taking it that's why we didn't use the front door?" Riku asked, staring at the giant beetle. There was the clicking sound of a trigger. BANG! Vincent sprung back firing off three shots in quick succession, skidding across the wooden floorboards. Nine shells clattered noisily as the three travelers stared at the five dead bugs. Slowly, almost in a dreamlike way, more of the creatures came crawling into view, swarming out from behind old moth eaten curtains, and out from the old, worn furniture. There was a deep vibrating feeling, and they rose from under the wooden planks, tearing them from their holdings with ease, squeezing and crowding around their comrades, clicking their pincers menacingly, glaring through unseeing visors at the intruders.

Riku pressed up against Kadaj, back-to-back, Way to the Dawn shimmering in his right hand, the other with Shouba in his left. Vincent stood to one side of the teens, an arm thrown out in a protective manner. There was a static crackling, thick with anxious anticipation. _Clink! _

"Yes Riku, I suppose this is why we didn't use the front door." Kadaj laughed apprehensively, eyeing up the massive insects. _Clink!_

"Hey… what is tha-?" And with a great wrenching sound, the giant chandelier was loosened from the tall ceiling, crashing through the carpeted entrance, separating the group. A hundred dull, many faceted diamonds skipped away from the twisted gold wreck, spinning out from view. And from the hole came a dozen more beetles, two dozen, three and those on the floor took this as a signal and surged forward, the sound of scuttling legs rising to a crescendo.

Kadaj launched himself forward in an X-formation, Shouba held high over his head. As he came to his first beetle, it rose and latched deep into his shoulders with razor-like pincers, shaking his frame back and forth. With an agonized grunt, the double bladed katana was brought heftily down into the thick shell. A burst of electrical pulse shuddered through the creature, burning the teen's wounded arms. Screaming, he reeled back, clutching either arm, both of which where already bleeding profusely. Scrunching up his nose, cheeks flushed, he pried his weapon from the carcass and swung it around as a shield, parrying the creature's advances.

Riku winced as a strong force clamped around his leg. Already, three bugs lay discarded around him, their undersides slashed open. Thick black blood oozed slowly to the floor, some of which clung to the teen's clothing, a nauseous scent magnified to a greater intensity by his enhanced sense of smell. He could smell his own blood as well, which was quickly soaking into his black jeans, now shredded in the grip of the beetle attached to it. He twisted, trying to defend himself and shake the creature off simultaneously, but the serrated edges of the pincers only sunk in deeper at the effort. He heard a strangled cry from his brother and turned to look just in time to see Kadaj push his attacker off, two inch wounds blossoming on his pale skin.

Vincent growled irately, eyeing the entire situation critically. Needless to say, the odds were not in their favor. A small circle of clear space surrounded him, filled only by his voluminous cape and several golden shells. His opponents were more tentative by his quick deliverance of their deaths, and edged forward more cautiously. Unlike the two silver haired teens, who would, for all their skill, be soon overcome by their enhanced foes. There was something deeply unsettling about these beetles. Besides for the fact that they were the size of a large domesticated canine, there was a disturbing similarity between these creatures and those manufactured for DEEPGROUND. However, it was not the same. These beings moved fluidly and abnormally fast, seeming to be able to think in a human manner, like the sharpest soldier moving through their environment, changing every problem to their advantage. Furthermore, while blue wires covered their outer shell, they did not shine like hundreds of super powered glow sticks as DEEPGROUND's weapons had. So where had they come from? Who had made them?

At a second scream from Kadaj – this one even more gut-wrenching than before, accompanied by a sickening crunching – Riku found the inner strength to plow through four more beetles. A Dark Firaga roared through the following wave, repelling the creatures slightly. Kadaj stood with his legs spread slightly apart, gasping for breath. A light sheen of sweat had broken over his brow and he forced a sort of grimacing smile in his brother's direction. Shouba was sticking tip-first into the wood, shaking slightly. Kadaj rolled his right shoulder stiffly, clamping his hand over the hilt awkwardly. His sword arm hung limply at his side, a trickle of blood from his shoulder wound running like veins across the back of his hand.

Cerberus had run out of bullets. The beetles seemed to know this as well. Maliciously, they surged forward, crawling over each other greedily, awaiting the sinking crush of yielding human flesh. No time to reload now, Vincent hastily deposited his signature weapon into the holster at his hip and pulled out his only other alternate weapon. This one rang out sharper than the long barreled gun, and felt wrong in his grip, the weight seeming unbalanced in comparison. There was no way they could fight their way through the swarm now. The thick carapaces proved difficult to penetrate, the first being luck backed by the force of the kick back and deadly grace with which it was delivered. But with the close proximity of the creatures, there was the speed and unforgiving pincers to factor in. They would be forced to make a run for it.

"FIRE!" Riku screamed from back behind the glittering ebony sea. "VINCENT! They hate fire!" And that was all the words he needed to hear. Smirking with triumph, the gunman cocked his weapon, pulling back a second trigger along with the conventional one. A clear window along the top of the barrel lit up temporarily with a bright orange color. There was a small ticking and then a flare burst out, creating a fiery wall between Vincent and his assailants. Behind him, Kadaj growled and fended off the nearest bugs, allowing Riku to send off two more Dark Firagas before being lifted by the midsection roughly. There was a quick blur of picture and color and the two brothers felt the bottoms of their stomachs drop. In mere split seconds, their feet met oddly shorn carpet, and they stumbled forward into dazed heaps upon the hallway floor.

Vincent barred the path to the two, firing off six shots into the bugs. They had already figured out that their prey had escaped their grasp. The fact that both spiral staircases had disintegrated over time was not stopping them either. Forcefully, he pushed them forward growling as he shook a heavy bug from his golden arm. "Run to-" the dark man paused, calculating. The silver haired teens stood behind him a few paces uncertainly. Vincent waited, tensing. Three, two, one, and the beetles were right before them, clambering over each other and packed like sardines. The first six were shot in the middle of their visors and trembled, electricity spreading back and through their wiring. The swarm paused momentarily, rippling with static. Vincent swirled around, dragging the two until they could run, turning back every now and then to shoot at the beetles that did not short-circuit.

Down the hall and to the left, through the room and the connecting door. Into the room and behind the tapestry, down the hall and the spiral stairs, and into the dimly lit hall. "What. The. Hell?!" Kadaj panted heavily, falling to his knees. "What were those things?!"

"Bugs." Vincent frowned. "They were able to track our movements and record and process data – perhaps our conversations as well – because of those visors they have. But they all act as one, so they must be receiving commands from a database of sorts."

"But if they are getting info from a database-" Riku frowned.

"SHIT!" Kadaj swore, letting his head strike against the dirt wall. "Whoever wants us dead now knows where we are."

"Precisely." Vincent nodded sagely. "We can't leave the way we came now that we are being watched. There's another way out of here, but we will have to re-enter a section of the mansion to make it."

"Which basically defeats the purpose." The elder teen commented dryly.

"We'll just bust through a window or something." Riku shrugged. "Hey… you alright? You're really pale."

"I broke my arm."

"What?" Vincent questioned, concerned. He kneeled beside the teen, carefully prodding at the offended appendage. Kadaj hissed through his teeth in pain, fighting the urge to recoil from the man's touch. "It's your elbow."

"What?"

"You broke your elbow. That's why you can't move your arm without it causing pain. Here." He unclipped the top section of his cape that hung around his neck and shrugged it from his shoulders. With a quick jerk of his hand, he tore off a strip of fabric from its bottom and fashioned a splint from it.

"Th-thanks." Kadaj muttered, flushing. "So, uh…" he continued, fishing for a change of subject.

"Kindness often comes to those who don't expect it." Vincent mused. "Come, I want to show you both something, seeing this is where we landed ourselves." Wordlessly, they followed the black haired man farther down the path, barely lit by torches that stayed aflame even in their dank climate. At long last, they came to a door, average in stature and appearance, wooden and slightly re-enforced. A golden clawed hand rested upon the door nostalgically, but a moment later it pushed it open, revealing a small antechamber.

"COFFINS?!" Kadaj yelped, brushing up against Riku. "There's DEAD PEOPLE in here?! _This_ is what you wanted to show us?!"

"They're empty, Kadaj." His brother sighed exasperatedly.

"Still! It's kinda – what are you doing?" he asked as Vincent paused before a horizontally resting dark chestnut coffin. He turned to the rest of his party.

"This is what the desire for redemption and forgiveness does to you. It eats away at you and destroys you from the inside out. I punished myself by undergoing eternal sleep. For fifty years I lay dormant – living but dead all the same. I did not age physically, and I sometimes wonder if I ever shall. Thanks to Cloud and his friends – my friends – I have seen that there was so much better alternatives." He paused. Then in a soft whisper, "Don't repeat my mistakes. Things are difficult, and at times unbearable, but running from your grief only magnifies the things you could have done and the errors you've made."

"Vincent…" Kadaj murmured, his expression falling.

"RIGHTY-O LADDIE!" There was a collective gasp as the coffin erupted, spewing out a fluffy orb of black and white tuxedo cat fur. Cait Sith grinned amusedly, pushing his crown back into place. "It's awful dusty in there, laddie! Couldn't 'magine five-o years in there!"

"Damn cat." Riku swore in relief, scooping the robot into his arms. "So what have you found out? We came to get you, but-"

"Oh those nasty lil' critters? A few good barrel rolls gets ya right passed 'em." The cat waved a gloved paw indifferently.

"Which is your way of saying you've been trapped down here too?" Kadaj moaned, shifting his weight uncomfortably. "Look, just tell us what you know and let's split. I really want to sit down right now."

"Do you need another?" his brother asked, proffering a shining green vial.

"Eh, no. The first two only took the edge off it."

"Uhhh, laddies?" Cait Sith piped up. "I hate to tell ya, but this place has been ransacked. Nothin's left." He gave a quick apologetic shrug. "But there is somethin' you'll be wanting to know 'bout. It's from Reeve." He whispered melodramatically. "There's been trouble up in Edge."

"Edge?!" Kadaj yelped, suddenly aware. "Is everyone okay? Is Yazoo-"

"Yeees, lad. Cool yer' britches. Reeve had a Turk go over to check on 'em. Though there is rumor that someone died. A young girl, I hear. But they burned down 'eadquarters, so-"

"Marlene?!" Riku gasped, eyes wide. "Who? Who… who would kill a child? She couldn't have done anything wrong…"

"I know who." His brother growled darkly. "But he's supposed to be dead." Kadaj sent a semi-mutinous glare in Vincent direction. "_Twice_."

"Third times the charm!" the cat chirped.

"It better be."

"But wait." Riku frowned. "You said 'they' burned down Shin-ra Headquarters. Who is 'they' exactly?"

"Tha's the trouble. We don't know. Now everybody an' their mother is movin' out to the ol' Midgar ruins. A safe house that is. Least till we figure out who is causing this."

"What all happened?" Vincent asked, taking the time to reload Cerberus and his LeMat 9-shot Revolver. "In detail."

"Well, I don't know too much meself, but I heard from Reeve that the place was torched. Lot's o' smoke and fire everywhere. Not sure yet how many people are dead, just lil' Marlene there. Prob'ly more when we go an' look."

"So… I take it Cloud and the others will move with everyone else?" Kadaj suggested. "Ya know, seeing as they'd wanna protect everyone and everyone will soon be no one as far as Edge is concerned."

"Perhaps." Vincent nodded thoughtfully. "I believe that even still, they would stay in Edge, because that's just the kind of people they are. They'd rather stick it out than run. But seeing as Marlene has been… lost… then they might have decided it was in everyone's best interest to leave."

"So what do we do now?" Riku quipped. "I mean – we didn't learn anything by coming here. Sure, we have Cait Sith and all, but we don't have the information we were looking for, someone got here before us. So do we return to Edge or Midgar?"

"That information is crucial to you." Vincent argued. "No, we stay here and follow our own agenda."

"Bu-!" the teen interjected.

"It's not abandonment. We will listen for news, but we must stay on course. They need us to succeed. Going back would be giving up." He held the door open to the party and they filed out back into the dank hall. This time, they went to the left, winding deeper underground.

"So we have to 'save the world' and all. That's kinda cliché." Kadaj sighed.

"Dude, it's s friggen' oxymoron. You used to be the antagonist." Riku snorted.

"Not like it was _my_ choice."

"True." There was a brief reprieve of words; silence filled only by the dull thump of footsteps against the hard packed dirt path. "So. We're the anti heroes of war, eh?"

"I suppose we are."

"Everyone is an anti hero at some time. It is just a matter of choices." Vincent added. "Oh, and Kadaj – watch out for those land mines."

"What land-?"

_BOOM!_

"Right. Those landmines."


	16. Deception

**Jenova's Children **

**By Kawaii and Junsui**

**Author's Note:** Kawaii-chan updating! FINALLY! Ugh, we're so sorry it took so freaking long to get this sucker written. The first semester of school was pretty hard and we haven't had much time to work on it. We'll be sure to get back into the swing of updating regularly this next semester. In the mean time, enjoy this next chapter!

**Chapter 16**

**Deception**

"I have a plan!"

Oh, this could _not_ be good. Kadaj groaned into the beaded pillow held tucked between his arms. His left still throbbed painfully as it lay in its sling. Riku sat across from him in a high backed armchair, Cait Sith in his lap. They looked attentively at Haruki Nonaka, who was perched on a round ottoman between the two. A tall glass of what had to be vodka had been placed precariously on the coffee table beside a vase of bright yellow flowers that Yuffie had picked. A singular daffodil was tucked behind said young woman's right ear, her head resting on Vincent's chest as they cuddled on the loveseat.

Begrudgingly, Kadaj took a sip of the beverage beside him, replacing the glass quickly. It was true the vodka kept the edge off the pain, but _man_ was it strong. But that was Haruki for you – doctors were pointless and just cost too much. Home operations and remedies made you stronger and increased your life. Kadaj for some reason did not believe in the whole 'increase your life part'. Living with Haruki it felt more like an 'increase your life if you live through the experience'. He grunted irately and sunk into the cushions.

"This is going to be good!" his mother crowed, looking from face to face excitedly. "Okay… so! You, cat!" she began, pointing a finger at Cait Sith, who squawked in surprise. "You didn't find the file things, right?"

"That's righ' missus. Wiped clean, the lot of 'em." He nodded.

"So, if they aren't at Shin-ra Manor, then they have to be somewhere else under Shin-ra's control – especially if it wasn't in the computers." The remainder of the group stared blankly at her. "Right?" she queried.

"Ya, but… we kinda already knew that." Riku mumbled nervously.

"Well of _course_ you already knew that!" Haruki boomed. "Now allow me to finish!" the room silenced immediately, a palpable tension in the air. "Now." She ushered, clearly enjoying the ambience she was setting. "As we all know, Shin-ra has many buildings scattered across the continent. Seeing as Midgar is naught but ruins, there are more buildings than before. At least, more are being used as actual facilities rather than bases. And Sitoshi, your father, bless his soul, frequented quite a number of these larger bases, as well as a few smaller ones. If you take the southwest road out of town for a good forty five miles or so you will come upon a large Shin-ra facility. The place is positioned near the coast, and it's accessible by air and boat, as well as any other land craft. They say that many of the records and possessions within the manor were moved there. That base alone has more information than the database probably has – those records only date back starting from roughly four years ago, when Sephiroth first came to his end.

"Therefore, you would want to head there to find your answers. But you can't just go waltzing right in, of course. The base is high security and probably has more protection methods than we can even dream of. Penetrating the outside would be murder, bursting in with weapons is sure suicide. But if one were to slip in undetected, then _perhaps_ you'd have a chance." She sat back promptly with a triumphant smirk upon her lips. Clearly, she knew something the others did not and was enjoying it immensely.

"So… how the hell would someone slip in without detection?" Kadaj asked in spite of himself. He knew this was a game of his mother's, which meant two things: one, she was setting up her story to cause intrigue and questions that would make her look knowledgeable and clever, and two, this was Haruki Nonaka. No plan, no matter how brilliant, how fool-proof, how cunning, would _not_ end up with someone nearly getting killed – whether that was their physical body, their ego, or their pride.

As expected, the woman bristled with glee once the question was posed. "_You_, Kadaj Nonaka, slip in under cover, maneuver through the floors, and access the computer terminal. Then you grab the files, put them in a briefcase and carry it out. Simple." She crooned.

"Under cover?" Vincent frowned, confusion floating in his garnet orbs. "But how? Wouldn't someone realize he's an outsider?"

"Not necessarily." Haruki argued. "I have Sitoshi's old things. The dear old man was batty enough – made copies and replicas of everything he was ever given from that company. I have everything: his old uniforms, ID's, records, badges, photos, mission statements, and transcripts, everything that Shin-ra tried to repossess upon his assumed death. What they wanted with it, I don't know. He was well respected at his work, I know that. But I am also certain that nobody would think anything odd with Kadaj dressed up like his old man.

"But…" Riku began nervously. Haruki may be his true mother, but she was crazy enough to intimidate even him. "Wouldn't someone think something was odd? I mean… Sito-…Dad" he corrected himself, the word strange on his tongue. "Dad has been dead for a few years, right? Surely someone would realize that it would be impossible for him to just come waltzing in out of nowhere."

"Not really." Yuffie chirped. Surprised, the group turned to look at her. Vincent nodded an affirmative.

"From my prior experience, I know that Shin-ra has a poor excuse for an editorial team when it comes to filing. They had three filing cabinets full of records that were labeled to be obliterated, most of which had been residing there for the past ten years or so. There is a huge likelihood that your father's files have yet to be erased from the system." He thereupon turned to Haruki. "It is my assumption that Shin-ra wished to repossess his items to further erase his existence and any ties that he had with the company. They do much the same with Turks."

"I don't get it." Kadaj pouted. "How am I supposed to look like Dad? I mean –" he exhaled heavily, blowing away his bangs so that they resettled over his eye. "– I don't look anything like him. Besides, even in his clothing, he was taller than I am now. And all of THAT aside, there aren't any SOLDIER anymore. But Dad was one of them. How do you figure THAT?"

But the devious smile that played over Mrs. Nonaka's lips never quavered. She instead rose from her perch upon the ottoman and crossed the room – kicking Satan away with a booted foot – to a tall wooden china cabinet. Within the middle center drawer she withdrew an old leather wallet. Meticulously each finger wrapped around the soft cover, opening the folds like an old book. And from inside said folds she produced a shining, square card.

"This." She said importantly. "Is the official Shin-ra SOLDIER ID card of Sitoshi Akaiko Nonaka. And now…" her hazel eyes softened uncharacteristically for a brief lapse of time, settling as they rested on her eldest son. "… It belongs to you."

Kadaj stared back at her blankly. "Me?" he replied. "Not Riku? Me?"

"Yes." His mother nodded. "You. In fact, he left all of his personal belongings to you. All save for this." She whispered this last bit, reaching up unconsciously to finger a chain around her neck. Sitting looped on the twisted material was a broad banded silver ring, inlayed with a circular diamond that was framed in small emeralds and peridots that were cut into the likeness of leaves. Beside it, was the ring's mate – a thicker band of the same silver, this one with two lines carved into the exterior, one lined with a dark green, the other light. As his mother touched the two wedding bands, the light from the ceiling fan shone on the insides and Riku could see that the words 'Sitoshi' and 'Haruki' were engraved in the opposite ring of their owners.

In an instant, the moment was broken, Kadaj haven woken from his shock. "I still don't understand." He said, his voice tremouring with a slight whine. "Why are you sending me in there? Riku fits the bill more than I do!"

"However could you say such a thing?!" Haruki demanded, protectively striding over to wrap her arms around her youngest. "He's your little brother Kadaj, you should be ashamed."

"I think you love him more than me." The other replied flatly. "But I-"

"I wi-!"

"I think we should move on then." Vincent interjected. "Ms. Nonaka-"

"Haruki, dear, if you please."

"Haruki, will you make a list of groceries and the like that you need around here? Yuffie, I ask that you do the same. We'll be needing to hit the shops anyways just to supply these two." He nodded towards the two brothers, both of whom had managed to collect a cat – neither of which seemed to look too pleased about their predicament.

"Oh Vinnie! Why don't we all go out?! It'll be fun!" Yuffie exclaimed.

"Oh indeed! That does sound quite delightful. Now, forget lists, if we can't remember it, then it's not important. I'll go get my bag. I always thought _purses_ were far too feminine." The other woman said, growling the end in detest.

"Oh now we wouldn't want _that_, now would we?" Kadaj drawled as she disappeared around the corner.

"I heard that ELIZABETH!"

The room went deathly silent, and everyone turned, deadpan, to look at the elder silver haired teen. There was a loud 'WHUMP!' as the leather satchel connected with his head, and a soft grumble.

"Elizabeth?" Riku posed, one eyebrow arched skeptically. "Elizabeth?"

"Whenever I'm really pissed, I'll call you by your middle name." his mother quickly informed him, a slightly deranged smile arranged on her face.

"So that means…. " The semi-silence was broken by Yuffie's sniggering.

"YOUR MIDDLE NAME IS ELIZABETH?!" she crowed.

"Shut up! I didn't choose it!" Kadaj yelled defensively.

"Actually, when I chose their middle names, I thought they were male names. You see, they're foreign, so…" Haruki remedied. "Yours is 'Paige'." She added, nodding to Riku.

"At least mine isn't as feminine." He smirked. Within a few minutes, the house was cleared out, Haruki with satchel slung across her torso, and Yuffie clinging onto Vincent's arm, Cait Sith looped into the other.

* * *

"Ugh. Silence. Finally!" Kadaj moaned, reclining in his seat, feet propped up on the ottoman.

"You better not leave footprints." Riku warned, eyeing his brother's feet warily. "Mom 'ould kill you."

"Don't remind me." The other grumbled. Riku gazed around the room for what felt like the umpteenth time since they had arrived. Everything was a part of him now, every bit of it the home he never had. And every time he looked, there was some new treasure to behold. This room was unique to him. It didn't seem to be the type of room Haruki would have pieced together, what with the soothing contrast of dark wood and soft colors. The walls themselves had been painted a soft yellow, and the furniture – from the high backed armchair, to the loveseat and the ottoman – had been upholstered in a rich ivory. The wood of the coffee tables and furniture legs were in a weathered dark varnish. The theme carried on down the hall a ways, the effect only emphasized by the soft sunlight that trickled in through the thin burgundy curtains adorning the windows.

No, to Riku this room was his family. His mother's touch of her softer side, and what had to have been his father's strength and protectiveness. It seemed like perhaps what was left of the world he had left behind, now only a cloudy memory. He turned his attention to Kadaj who was still spread out on the couch, staring blankly at the spinning fan blades. Slowly, the green cat eyes slid over and met Riku's, still dazed looking, and edged with suspicion.

"What?"

"Nothing." The younger one replied. "Hey… so."

"So?" the eyes flipped back up to the fan blades, intent on following the path of one of them.

"Should we look for his stuff then?"

"Look for?"

"Ya. Dad's stuff. Mom said that –"

"Nothing to _look_ for." Kadaj explained. "Nothing's changed, I'll bet. Haruki is a sentimental old bat." Riku gave an indignant snort. "She probably hasn't moved anything in his office for years."

"Dad had an office?" the keyweilder exclaimed softly. The other turned to him with a sarcastic expression.

"Not at all. Come on." He said, getting up with a stretch. "I'll show you." The two exited the living room and climbed the progression of stairs, stopping on a landing. "This house isn't really two stories, it's three. Plus there's an attic. If his stuff isn't in here, then it's up there."

Riku stared at the wall before them. It was the same nondescript white colour as the rest of the wall leading up the stairwell, slightly dingy with age, but white nonetheless. There were a few framed pictures hanging there, all with mish-matched frames and mats. One showed Kadaj at age five, standing with his trademark grin, a soccer ball tucked under one arm. Beside it was an oval image of Riku at two, sitting under the Christmas tree in a red jumper, already with a thick crop of black hair. Below this was a large picture of four individuals, all crowded together. Loz stood the tallest, consuming the majority of the left corner, a football under his arm, the other slung around Kadaj's comparably small frame. He stood at the center, ducking slightly, with a hand on Riku's head, grinning broadly at the camera. And to the farthest right was Yazoo, smiling serenely, one arm linked with Kadaj's, the other resting on Riku's tiny shoulder.

"Why are we all so young here?" he asked, fingering the image of his toddler self. "Why are _you all_ so young in these pictures?"

"Dad disappeared when I was seven." Kadaj said. "We never had the heart to change the pictures. These were his favourites." He then reached down and placed his hands on the small table beneath the photos. There was a scraping sound, and then silence.

"What wa –"

"It's a lever." Kadaj indicated. "Dad built this table so that the lever is unnoticeable, and lays flesh with the wood underneath. He was kinda paranoid, so… he thought that this would be a good hiding place for things. Turns out, it is." With a push, the wall gave way, swinging open and hinged like a door.

"That is insane!" Riku gaped.

"Not yet it isn't." his brother crowed. He grabbed the other's arm and hauled him inside, closing the door behind them. There was a click, and Riku stiffened.

"We're locked inside."

"Yup."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'YUP'?!" Riku exclaimed.

"Locked from the outside. The lever just snapped back up into place, so it's impossible to see from the outside. But we can get out just fine." Kadaj assured him. He strode across the room beside a darkly varnished armoire, pushing aside a vase of faux white orchids. He lifted the runner the vase sat upon and traced the wood grain with his finger until he found a groove. Beckoning his brother over, Kadaj inserted his finger into a side of the wood and pushed. The wood fell in and slid back, revealing a neat little inset with a black switch inside. "If I flip this, the door will open up again. Dad made it so that way he could trap people in here too. Like I said, he was paranoid. Guess it comes from training as SOLDIER, especially high ranking as he was. But there's more."

He replaced the flowers and walked over to the West facing window. It was plain, the glass slightly frosted and adorned with stuffy violet drapes. The elder teen reached up with a slight grunt to the iron drapery pole and yanked down on it. It gave, and there was a soft groaning noise, then silence. Pulling back the drapes on one side, Kadaj motioned. "See the wood carvings under the sill? Well, if you find the right leaf –" his fingertips blazed over the white figures, resting on one. "– it's actually a door knob. The pole unlocked the door, and all you have to do now is open it." He said victoriously.

"But, Kadaj… this is the side of the house. If there's a door here, then…"

"Emergency escape. The neighbors don't know of it, obviously. It just opens up the side of the house, and you'd fall straight down. To the feed sacks, actually. And let me tell you! They're not as soft as you'd think." He grumbled. "Broke my elbow that way once. Fell onto the sacks, and then rolled off of them to the ground. The best thing to do is to just plummet, hit the sacks, and climb onto the roof of the shed, then find a way off. Not as painful, I'd think."

"Wouldn't it be noticeable though?" Riku quipped.

"Nope. Well, sorta. The door would still be open, and there's no lever or button or anything to close it again, so it's more of a last resort tactic. But there aren't any windows below, so no one can actually see you escape from inside the house. Dad was brilliant." He marveled.

"So do we have an elevator and a trap door too?" the keyweilder snorted.

"Heh, naw. But there are two points along that wall –" Kadaj pointed to the wall that they had entered the room from. "– that have panels that slide back to look through the eyes of pictures. One looks up the staircase, the other down it." He turned and pushed the drapery pole back up into place. "There. Well… shall we?"

"Ya…" Riku nodded, slightly dazed. "Where to begin?"

"Well, the armoire might have his clothes." The katana user mused. "Check his desk for the other stuff."

"Right." The other fingered the leather chair, carefully sitting in the plump seat. The desk matched the same varnished color as the rest of the furniture. Its top was flat and coated in a soft layer of dust, otherwise meticulously kept. A green velvet mat sat in the center, a cup of pens to the right sitting under a gold bank lamp. The only other object sat in the top left corner of the desk – an oval picture frame featuring the entire family. Riku carefully plucked it up and cradled it in his hands, eagerly scanning his father's features. Sitoshi stared back at him with the same ice blue eyes, human rather than cat-like, with an intensity only rivaled by Kadaj. Silken black hair framed his smooth face. It was masculine, but soft, almost slightly androgynous but definitely male. He had thin lips too, and a pale rose color, like Kadaj's. Looking at the teen riffling through clothes across the room, it was becoming increasingly easier to see the resemblance between father and son.

"So… all his stuff is yours now, huh?" The clothes stopped flying.

"I guess. That's what Haruki said."

"Why don't you call her Mom?"

"Bad past." Kadaj said hastily. "Anyways, she doesn't mind. Hey, do you want this?" he asked, holding up a green parka.

"Uh… sure." Riku shrugged off-handedly, looking back at the photo. He replaced it on the desk and opened the thin drawer in the middle. More pens and old business cards. There was a thin address book too, it's pages yellowed with age. "Doesn't look like you really inherited much from him, no offence." He cocked an eyebrow as he fiddled with multi-coloured paperclips. "Mostly office supplies in here. That and a rubber band ball."

"Fascinating." His brother replied dryly. "AH-HAH! Here!" with a flourish, he extracted a long bag from the armoire, holding it before him in awe. His eyes snapped to the desk, and in a flash, he had swept the contents off onto the floor. "Look, Riku, look!" he said excitedly, nearly tearing off the zipper.

"There's a note card attached."

"And?! I wanna s –"

"Hold still a moment!" the other snapped. He gingerly examined the paper. "It reads: Sitoshi A. Nonaka, SOLDIER Fifth Regiment, Second Class, Bronze Star. And underneath…." He squinted to make out the loopy scrawl.

"That's Haruki's handwriting." Kadaj noted.

"Huh. It just says 'November 2nd'. This is the same stuff that Vincent and I found in the database. What do you make of it?"

"November 2nd is the day Dad went missing. You were already gone by then, so it was just Haruki and I. I remember when they brought this in to us. It was his spare outfit, but the nicer one that he wore for special occasions and celebrations and stuff. The normal uniform was what he was wearing when he went missing, so…" he stared down at the glistening buttons. "This looks sort of like a spiffy Turk outfit." He snorted. "But it's pretty cool." He added, wistfully running his fingers over the bars and medal on the jacket's left breast.

"It's also yours." Riku said. "So Mom thinks you should wear this into the Shin-ra place?"

"She's a lunatic, I know." Kadaj groaned. "What if there are secret handshakes or something?! Or passwords I should know?!"

"Well what if there are retinal scans?" his brother said in mock seriousness. The remaining colour drained out of the katana-user's face.

"Then what would I do? Riku, I can't do this!"

"Well, Mom's getting you contacts –"

"What if the scan can detect contacts?"

"Who says there's really retinal scans anyways?! Geez, Kadaj, I was only kidding! You'll be fine, I'm sure. We just need to do something about that hair of yours…"

* * *

"How old is this exactly?" Riku asked, looking critically at the tub. He peeled his fingers from the rounded edges, reading the label. "Oriole Midgar, Onyx Black. Seriously, Kadaj, how old is this stuff?!"

"You know, I don't think it really matters with hair dye." His brother shrugged. His upper body was buried underneath the sink, his butt sticking up in the air. The entire contents of the bathroom were scattered on everything, mainly being pink towels.

"You look retarded."

"Cool. So, does it say how big the bag has to be?" he asked distractedly.

"Ummmm…" Riku gave the tub a cursory glance. "Nope, just says a plastic bag."

"That's it. I'm using a grocery bag." the other decided.

"Kadaj, I don't think they mea- grocery bag." The keyblade wielder finished lamely. "And he's already gone." Calmly, he set about straightening up the bathroom, separating a few items out as the directions indicated. "Didn't know we had so much hair crap." He muttered under his breath. Riku crouched down and looked under the sink where his brother had recently vacated. "Holy shit! We've got an entire inventory down here!"

"You ain't kiddin'." Kadaj drawled from the doorway. "Got a bag."

"Midgar Mart, nice."

"Super Midgar Mart. Even better. Haruki used to order stuff from them a years back for resale. Think it'll work?"

"The bag? Ya, sure, why not? I mean, between all the clips, bobby pins, banana clips, and scrunchies, I think we'll be all set." Riku said sarcastically.

"Okay, so what's first?" Kadaj asked bracingly.

"Uh, it says to mix the dye. Apparently there's a … yup, a little comb in here. One side has a pick and we're supposed to mix the dye with the pick end." His brother replied slowly, unscrewing the lid as he read.

"Ugh, that smells horrible. I'm supposed to put that shit in my hair? It looks…"

"Goopy." Riku said, watching the black globs stick to the comb. "Is it supposed to do that?"

"I… don't know."

"I told you it was too old!"

"I still don't think it goes bad…"

"How long have you had it for?! If it's anything like how Mom keeps cereal, we're screwed."

"We've had it since… well, not _quite_ that long, but…"

"But what?!"

"Since Halloween."

"Which Halloween, Kadaj?"

"Halloween… nine years ago. I was ten at the time, so I was a… ninja." He smiled lazily. "So was Yazoo. That was a fun year."

"A… ninja?" Riku raised an eyebrow. The only thing he thought of when he heard that word was the hyper ball of joy that was Yuffie. "Why a ninja?"

"Well, we had gone to Wutai for a school vacation field trip thing – you know how there's one every spring? – and needless to say, we were…"

"Infatuated." His brother finished for him.

"Ya, pretty much. After that we started taking Tae Kwon Do, Bak Fu, and weapons training. Oh, and kickboxing. It sort of started a life path for us, I guess."

"I still don't see where the hair dye comes into place."

"Oh, that was for Loz. He was a vampire that year, and he didn't think blonde vampires were really all that cool." Kadaj laughed.

"Loz was blonde?"

"Couldn't ya figure?" the katana user joked. "Anyways, I think that stuff is mixed enough by now, it looks like whipped cream."

"SHIT!" Riku swore. "Well, whatever, if you don't care about it being ancient, then this shouldn't really matter either." He shrugged, shoving the container into his brother's hands. The elder teen looked down at it blankly.

"Now what?"

"Put it in your hair, stupid!" Riku said exasperatedly. "Do I have to explain everything? Read the damn container if you're confused, it's right on there."

"Jerkoff." Kadaj snarled, slapping the black whipped cream into his silver tresses. "This better turn out right." He added, looking fervently at his darkening hair.

"Use the comb." The only remaining silver haired teen advised. "It might get those clumps out." He pointed to the bouncy ball sized knots. Within a few minutes, the black goop had thoroughly consumed Kadaj's hair, still slightly clumpy, but saturated from the roots to the tips.

"I smell horrible." He groaned.

"You think?" Riku twitched. "I'm the one with a delicate sense of smell."

"So now the bag?"

"Mmhmn. Just put all your hair in it, and… not your whole head, idiot! You'll dye and die. And now…" he cast about for the appropriate hair do-dad, settling on a banana clip. "We secure it with this." The two looked up at themselves in the large mirror. Riku snorted.

"Laugh and you die." Kadaj warned.

"Just heat it with the hair dryer." His brother sniggered, exiting the room. "The tub said it would make the color stronger with more heat."

"I'm setting the timer!" the now black haired teen called. "If I don't hear it, come tell me!"

"Sure thing." Riku nodded dismissively. "Idiot." He was back in Kadaj's room, sitting on the window seat that served as his bed. Like the rest of the house, this room called to him in a strange sort of way that nothing else had. '_The life I could have led…'_ he thought. It seemed to echo in his head as he took in the light yellow walls and macabre Murder Will posters. _'This could have been my room once. This could have been my life.'_ He paced across the blue area rug to the TV, picking up the photo of Kadaj and his friends in front of the Ferris wheel.

"I thought he said that Loz was blonde." He mused, looking at the brunette teen. Curious, he slipped the picture from its frame, flipping it over. "Oh, that's why." He smiled, reading the date. It was a month after the Halloween Kadaj had described. "The color was fading out." He explained to himself. Replacing the frame on the wardrobe, he came back over to the bookcase. Almost nostalgically, he trailed a finger along the spines of the books, stopping here and there when he thought he was getting a memory. He paused at a thick red and gold spine, moved on, then went back to it. Something seemed vaguely familiar about it.

He pulled it from the shelf and nestled back into his window bed, tucking his legs underneath him and using them as a table. The book itself was oddly shaped, long in width rather than height, and closed securely with a golden ribbon. Undoing the bow, he flipped open to the first few pages. A handful of pictures were glued in semi-haphazardly, some taped at the corners where they had started to lift. They were already starting to yellow a bit, and there – to Riku's amusement – were even a few Polaroids stuck in. Most of them depicted Kadaj as an infant and toddler, playing with toy trains and school buses in Oh Gosh overalls. There was his first Christmas and birthday, and a few of him being held by family members Riku couldn't even begin to fathom.

He turned the page and was met with a fancily framed baby picture of himself. He chuckled as he thumbed through his infant years. There were more memories now, dredged up by the faded photographs, and almost as distant at times. Memories of the swing set in the backyard that had since been ripped out, picking apples in an orchard with his brother, fighting over Fiery Tires and toy dinosaurs, playing in the sand box. And then they abruptly cut off as the images of his infant self disappeared altogether.

His brow furrowed in frustration. It was like trying to recover from amnesia, having lived two different lives. Suddenly, he felt very sorry for amnesiacs. The photo album continued, he found, to show Kadaj's preschool and elementary school years. More pictures of Loz and Yazoo started cropping up, both beaming and often missing teeth. Loz's peewee football card was included, depicting a stocky blonde grinning broadly at the camera, football tucked under one arm, and covered in white, silver, and blue. A large number five was plastered on the front of his uniform. So he had been a quarterback.

Opposite this were three images of Yazoo, taken at roughly the same time. The gunner appeared to be about ten (figuring that the Loz in the other photo was twelve). The first was a portrait that was taken in a studio. Riku had to suppress a gasp when he saw it – Yazoo looked… with no other word to describe it, beautiful. His flawless features shone softly like the powdered faces of porcelain dolls, light green eyes shining out of the matted image with a strong intensity. Everything about him, from the perfectly flowing hair, to the precise shape of his eyebrows and delicacy of his jaw line, appeared feminine and somehow otherworldly.

The feeling carried on to the other two photos. The one to the right of it showed Yazoo in a pinstriped dress shirt, the sleeves pushed up to his elbows. A beret was sitting skewed on his head and he was looking wide-eyed, as if caught off-guard, at the camera, a pencil tucked behind one ear, with a sketchbook in the other. There were ribbons and bows in the background as if at a birthday party, balloons tucked almost out of view. A thin girl with auburn hair sat on a barstool behind Yazoo, smiling the same serene smile that the gunner always wore. Riku assumed that she was must have been his sister.

The third photo showed Yazoo smiling from behind a counter, dressed in a moss coloured turtleneck, kneading dough. Golden brown loaves of bread were displayed in wicker baskets, croissants and bagels topped with sesame seeds sat under warm lighting in display cases. There was a rack of various pretzels behind the ten-year-old, and a whole case of pastries gleamed under the bakery's lights. Éclairs, petit fours, ladies fingers, Danishes, bearclaws, cinnamon rolls, coffee and carrot cakes… all topped with anything you could imagine, surrounded by small cakes and parfaits.

It seemed that there was so much that Riku had missed out on. Birthdays, holidays, friendships. With a frustrated sigh, he flipped to the last few pages. There on the second to last page were the pictures from Kadaj's tenth Halloween. He stood proudly in the center, hands on hips, with an arrogant grin. He was swathed in black and violet fabric, soft leg wrappings, and fishnet. Beside him was Loz, in sweeping velvet, holding the cape up in the stereotypical vampire manner. And on the other side was –

"I see you found my photo album." Kadaj drawled, peering over Riku's shoulder.

"I! Holy shi-! Dude!" the younger teen spluttered. "I thought you said that Yazoo went as a _ninja_." He finally choked out.

"He was, wasn't he?" Kadaj frowned, squinting at the picture.

"A _girl_ ninja?!" the other corrected.

"Oh ya, guess I forgot to mention that, huh?" the katana user smirked.

"But… dude. I thought…"

"He really looks feminine there, doesn't he?" The Yazoo in the picture had sleek tight black pants with a high, thick red waistband, which was mirrored at the bottom of the legs in broad X patterns. A tight black top hugged his chest, and a thin red ribbon encircled his crown. A wakazashi knife was strapped to his side, two small chakrams emblazoned with oriental flowers and stars in one hand, closed nunchucks in the other slung over his shoulder. "If I was ten… he would have been thirteen, and Loz is fifteen." He threw in.

Riku stared in shocked silence. "Why did he…?"

"Yazoo is Yazoo." Kadaj shrugged. "Now, should I wash this out, or-?" he began, pointing at his head.

"Idiot!" the other hissed, jumping up. "Don't just let it sit!"

"_You_ were supposed to listen for the –"

"Just wash it!"

"Fine! Jeez! I'm going, I'm going." The elder of the two trudged off to the shower. Within seconds, there was yelling. "RIIIIIIIIIIIKU?!!!!" The corresponding brother rushed into the bathroom.

"What is it? Is something wrong?" he asked worriedly. Kadaj slid open the shower door.

"I don't think this was supposed to happen." He said softly. Black water was sliding down his body like tears, pooling in a large puddle at his feet. Riku stared in surprise before starting and scrambling to find the container.

"Dye, dye, dye." He chanted, pushing towels and stained plastic gloves aside. "Where'd you put the damn thing?!" he exclaimed.

"The middle drawer, I think." Kadaj replied shakily. "Next to the-"

"Hair straightner?"

"Ya."

"Um… it says…" Riku read, impatiently drumming his fingers on the counter. "'Wash until water runs clear.' Apparently it's supposed to do that." His brother nodded slowly and slid the door back closed, hurriedly finishing his shower.

"I think it's good now." he called, muffled by the glass. Wrapping a towel around his waist, he stepped out and looked at his reflection. Riku stood nervously beside him.

"So, what do you think?" he asked. Kadaj continued to stare blankly back at himself, his good arm stretched out and braced against the sink. "Kadaj?"

"I…" he breathed, his voice hitching a little. "This is…" Suddenly, Riku realized that the eyes he was watching in the mirror were glistening for a reason.

"Kadaj?!" he placed a hand on his brother's shoulder. "What's-?"

"I look like myself again."

"What?"

"Except for the eyes, of course." He continued, as if Riku had never spoken. "Except for these damn eyes of mine. If only they could see me. All Yazoo ever wanted was for us to be normal again. That's all he ever asked for. So we could be ourselves again, be free. So that way we could live whatever life we wanted, the lives we were robbed of. For him to want that so much, and for me to return, however cheaply… it's not fair. It's just…" it took him a moment to realize that he was crying.

* * *

"Are you just about done in there?" Riku called. "Mom wants to see you, and –"

"Ya, ya, I'm coming. Just give me a second, will ya?" Kadaj snapped back through the door. Riku paced around outside a bit before rapping on the door again.

"I'm coming in, you know." He warned while simultaneously opening the door. "So I hope you're not doing anything weird in here." His brother stood with his back to him, talking softly under his breath. Startled, he flung something onto the bed and stalked out of the room.

"I said I'd be out, didn't I?" he said testily, shutting the bedroom door and stepping out into the hall. "Come on." He ushered, grabbing Riku's elbow and dragging him down the stairs. "Might as well get this done and over with."

"Kadaj, what were you doing in there?"

"Getting ready, what else?"

"You're going to mess up your uniform."

"Wrinkles happen Miss Priss, now get over it."

"Bloody hypocrite!" Riku vented.

"KADA-CHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" Haruki cried, bounding up the few stairs remaining in an instant and locking the teen in a death-grip. She pulled away, excitedly looking him up and down. "Oh you look so wonderful, just like your father. Dear, you _do_ look like Sitoshi. Splendid! This should work out perfectly. Now, I've given your friend Vincent the directions to the Shin-ra building, and he'll be taking you there. No reason for you to go now, Yu- I mean, Riku, so you can stay here with Yuffie and myself. Kadaj, you get your ass in motion because daylights fading and we'll need you in and out before the day is through. Hop to it!" All of this being said in less than half a minute. Riku counted.

With that, the elder Nonaka was swept out the door and into a small blue vehicle that looked as if it hadn't been run in five years. Vincent gave him a side-long glance from the driver's seat (now dressed in a less noticeable rich burgundy sweater and grey slacks) and honked the horn lightly in farewell. The last thing Kadaj heard coming from the house was a cry of "WHO WANTS TO MAKE OVEN-FRIED-FLOYD?!" and a responding scream of, "NUUUUUUUU!"

* * *

"So how long do you think it'll take before Haruki cooks all of our chocobos?" Kadaj posed grimly.

"With any luck?" Vincent smiled. "We'll be gone before she can force it on us again."

"Wouldn't want to impose or anything." Kadaj joked along. "But that woman better not get Floyd. She's doing it to spite me, I just _know_."

"Spite you?" the other queried. "Why would she do that?"

"For loosing Riku." The teen replied. There was a lapse, then Kadaj continued. "He was four, and I was five. I was supposed to watch him. We all were. Yazoo and Loz too. But we wanted to play, and thought that Riku'd be fine on his own… but when we came back to get him, he was gone. We searched for hours and never found him. Then the adults got involved and they never found him. No one did. But he was my responsibility, and I let him and my parents down… it's my fault that he went through all of this." He finished sadly.

"Kadaj…" Vincent paused, gathering his thoughts. "Kadaj, you were five at the time, only a toddler. How can you possibly blame a toddler for -?"

"But he was my responsibility!" the teen argued. "And I had _always_ looked after him. _Always_." Hysteria was creeping its way into his voice.

"You were _five_ Kadaj! You didn't know any better at the time. And don't try to argue either! You need to let this go, and you need to talk to your mother. Obviously this is something that's bothered you for a long time." The other man said firmly. "Besides, what else would his life have led to? The way it went, he was adopted by a nurse and her rich husband, had excellent education, lived in a mansion, had friends, and grew up on an island paradise. Here, his life would have been right down the same path as yours – directly to Sephiroth. And for all you know, he'd have become a remnant too. Can you honestly say you'd rather he had that path?"

The rest of the car ride was silent, filled with slight tension, but otherwise peaceful. The landscape zipped by with extraordinary speed, although Kadaj never got the feeling that they were pushing sixty. In actuality, they were going one-ten, and no more than a blur on the deserted roads. The scenery itself wasn't too exciting – mainly high pebbly foothills covered with lichen and scrub weeds. After a few minutes the terrain flattened out and the land to Kadaj's left completely fell way. Peering down from the backseat window, he could see the dizzying drop to the craggy ocean shore below. It appeared as if the waves were crashing mercilessly against the shale that peered up in cruel points, hungry for the occasional car or convoy that might plummet over the foot tall safety wall. Vincent had veered off to the right pathway (the road had forked before reaching the sea), heading more West than South now.

A few stray gulls spotted the wispy clouds gathering in the distant and bending sky, but the overcast weather only damped Kadaj's spirits. This task was impossible, even for him. He didn't know what awaited him there, but the more he thought on the matter, the more promising the shallows below became.

"Either I'll fly like a bird, or drown in my failure." He grumbled, scooting down in his seat.

"And if you drown, I'll pull you out and kick you till you breathe again. And if I don't, then I can promise you Haruki will." The dark man replied from the driver's seat. His crimson eyes flashed quickly to the rearview mirror, before pulling back to the twisting sea road. "My cloak is packed under my seat in case we need it." Kadaj saw him squinting ahead and frowned.

"What do you see?" he quipped, stomach now not only knotting but doing back flips as well.

"_La baise bonne, ceci n'est pas bonne. Aucun bon._" Vincent hissed irately. "There's a security check-point up ahead. It's right before we get to the actual building." He explained, already reaching behind the seat and groping blindly. "Get behind the seat." He instructed.

"What?" Kadaj stressed, fidgeting nervously.

"Reach into the pocket behind my seat and pull everything out." Vincent restated. "Everything."

"Right, right…" the teen stuck his hand into the pocket, grasping a thick bundle of paper. Suddenly, the car lurched forward violently, feeling almost at a dead stop. "What the bloody hell was that for jerkoff?!" Kadaj exclaimed, heart racing. "My head was down, did you hit a fucking jackrabbit?!"

"Shut your mother fucking mouth and do as I say. I'm buying us time, we're going sixty five now." Vincent replied evenly, knuckles white on the wheel. He was clearly stressed out, and the teen wisely realized this.

"R-right, so what am I looking for exactly?" he asked shakily. He thumbed the papers. "Vincent… where'd all these passports come from?"

"Shin-ra, about fifty some years ago. They were mine once. Some of them are fakes – those are for you. Look for the ones labeled as 'Sitoshi A. Nonaka', 'pole arms', or 'rifle'. Those all indicate you. They are replicated passports, identification papers, copies of receipts that were tampered with to show recent dates, copies of licenses and registrations. I even managed to get Reeve to fax us a few brochures and copies of recent literature Shin-ra has handed out to employees. Those should be our ticket to freedom. Get what's yours, and put it into the briefcase under the passenger seat. That's yours. You'll use it to put the things you find into, and carry your own replica papers in."

"How did you -?"

"No time for questions, just listen. There is an official Shin-ra card in there, you'll find it's somewhat old." His smirk could be seen in the rearview mirror.

"Is this you?" Kadaj asked out-loud, looking at the young Vincent in the photo. His hair was much shorter, cut in a boyish A-line.

"Yes, it's me. A bit different though, isn't it? Find the other card in there, and slip the official one into it. It will lock into place and be almost the same weight. Parts of the official card will show through, but the updated things will remain." There was a click, and Kadaj examined the new card in his hands.

"I still don't know how… why do you need a new card?"

"I can penetrate the base farther if I appear to be an employee. I can get you in further this way." Vincent replied quickly, licking his pale lips. "They're going to search the car, your briefcase, and us as well. If there is anything you don't want them to find, throw it out the window now."

"Just _out_?!"

"Out. Quickly!"

"Wouldn't they see? Why can't we just stop?!"

"No, we're out of range to be seen so far. Back when I switched gears they started to track our speed to see if there was any suspicious activity. Dump the stuff now, Kadaj, we can't stop now."

"Right, I got it." The teen mumbled, fetching around for anything incriminating. "There's nothing." He said after a few frantic seconds. "Is there anything in the trunk or the glove compartment?"

"_La merde, n'a pas pensé à celle._" Vincent's ruby eyes snapped up to the mirror and locked with Kadaj's. "Be careful. Now, fold down the middle seat and look into the trunk." The silver tressed teen did as he was asked, squinting in the darkness. A clunky object was faintly outlined from the overcast sky outside. The car swerved around another curve in the mountainside, and the object flashed into view quickly. Kadaj blanched and turned to his companion.

"There's a gun in there Vincent. Why is there a _gun_?!"

"We're going to have a stand-off." The other replied grimly. "I can guarantee it. You'll have to be quick, but they'll figure out something's up soon enough. I'll have to fight them, and we'll need to escape."

"What do I do with it?" Kadaj stressed.

"Unbuckle and climb back there. Move the carpet and stash it under the paneling in there. I'll warn you when we're going to turn."

"WHAT?!" the teen shrieked.

"Just do it!" Vincent snarled. "Now!" After a moment's hesitation, Kadaj unbuckled, diving headfirst into the trunk. He squeezed his shoulder blades together and wriggled through, peering in the increasing blackness. His fingers groped blindly, reaching until he found the edge of the trunk, fingernails scratching uncomfortably upon metal.

"Turning!" Vincent called. Wincing, having felt a fingernail rip, his bad arm throbbing painfully from the force of his exertion, Kadaj tore back the carpeting. He placed his palm against the plastic underneath until he detected a fissure. Fingering along it, he came to a grove and lifted up.

"Turn!" the dark man called again. The car shifted heavily to the right, and there was the deafening sound of scraping metal as the gun slid into the tire storage. Ears ringing, Kadaj righted the area, turning around just in time to see Vincent's head duck down as he reached for the glove compartment. The car jolted to one side, and the teen rolled unexpectedly off his knees.

"_Non, manière fausse._" The gunner winced, pulling a wad of junk from the gaping door. He shoved it backwards towards Kadaj, and the other launched forward to get the papers, still half in the trunk. "What's in there?"

"Shit! It's directions and stuff. This has to do with AVALANCHE and the Seventh Heaven, and then the –"

"Throw it out – NOW!"

"How?!" Kadaj countered. Suddenly, there was a low popping sound, then a huge gust of air. The teen turned slowly to see the man had popped the trunk. Suppressing his exclamation of shock, he took a deep breath and threw the papers out into the wind. He watched momentarily as they spiraled lazily into the breeze, escaping like gulls on the wind.

"There's a bag back there too?" Vincent interrupted. "It should have emergency supplies in it."

"Ya, I see it. It's black and grey with –"

"The Seventh Heaven logo. No time to switch out. Just dump it." Bile now rising in his throat, Kadaj hurled the bag as hard as he could, watching it cascade over the edge of the cliff and out of sight. A metallic vice gripped him. Something didn't feel right.

"Vincent, I've got a bad feeling."

"So do I." the other agreed. "Haruki won't be happy she's not getting her car back. Which reminds me… there's one other thing to do. Climb back up here a moment and grab the plate in the other passenger pocket. Kadaj looked incredulously at the rectangular metal slab.

"You've _got_ to be shitting me."

"They attach with hooks at the top. Switch the license plates and throw the old one over. Hopefully the tides will sweep it away by the time Shin-ra sends their little peons down to check for evidence against us."

"Why the license plate?!"

"They can track your mother down and bring her in for questioning. They could _kill_ her. You'd know that best. Just do it." His voice was not unkind, but the rapid flitting of his eyes suggested his nervousness. Crawling backwards into the open trunk, Kadaj lowered himself halfway over the rushing pavement, sucking in a deep breath. His hurt arm was folded against his chest, although bandaged; he could tell that it was bruising from the pressure of his body. Swinging his arm over the lip of the trunk, he located the two hooks the plate was attached to. With a grunt, he pried it upwards. It stuck on the rusted hooks, grating loudly, then flying off.

"No!" Kadaj shrieked as the plate hit the ground, wildly snatching for it. Now more than halfway out of the back of the car, his fingertips snagged the back of the plate, dragging it along the pavement. Paint chipped off the plate's front, now being ground into the road, the back edges sparking from friction. It hit a large pebble and jumped, slamming into Kadaj's hand and slicing the tender skin between his thumb and pointer finger. Yelling out in pain, he determinedly kept his hold and, like the bag, flung it over the edge, recoiling back into the safety of the trunk.

Taking a second to suck away the blood, the cut stinging severely, he looked up to see a few spotted patches of crimson spotting the fading roadside. "Son of a bitch." He growled vehemently, swinging back over the edge to reattach the new plate. The first few tries, the holes missed the hooks, almost threatening to clatter away like the previous one. Kadaj's grip loosened, and lost grip of the plate. He inhaled sharply, as the corner of the plate fell. It jerked, and then swung back upwards, one hole having caught on a hook. With a sigh of relief, Kadaj attached the other side and reached up to grab the inner handle, slamming the trunk closed.

"It's done." He said finally, heaving deep breaths in his seat.

"Are you alright?" Vincent asked worriedly. "I tried to ask what happened, but the wind was too loud for you to hear me."

"The fucking plate cut my hand." Kadaj swore, shaking the abused appendage.

"Which one?" the man frowned.

"The old one. There was rust and shit on it and the edges were serrated. It didn't cut _too_ deep, but it still stings like a bitch."

"We're here." Vincent breathed, pulling up into the wide drive. The pavement had ended and had branched out into a dirty, pebbled road. To the left of the road was a station, a sign tacked to its side reading, "NOTICE, All Visitors Subject to Search" in bold red lettering. A few men in puffy red jackets strode around outside, all moving with purpose. Beyond the station was an ominous chain link gate, slatted with thick bars of metal and crowned with spiraled barbed wire. Kadaj craned his neck to see the top of the twelve foot gate and gulped audibly.

"Straighten up, soldier." Vincent ushered softly from the driver's seat, his eyes trained straight ahead, watching the worker's every movement. Kadaj brushed off his lapels and straightened the bars over his left breast.

"How am I supposed to get out of there alive?" he breathed, eyeing the four statue-like men at the gate's close, each armed with a glinting machine gun. Beneath their long bulletproof vests, Kadaj could see ammo belts slung around their waists. The guards moved as one, admitting an unmarked big rig entrance, closing the gate once more as the vehicle rumbled on, coughing out black smoke. The old car rolled forward, stopping behind the green truck before the gate.

"I'm not sure." Vincent admitted. "Just keep calm. Be the man you remember your father to be." He whispered, pulling forward more.

"Is there anything I need to know?" Kadaj asked in rushed whispered tones. "Secret handshakes or anything?"

"Everything I'd know would be different now." Vincent replied apologetically. "There's a roll of tape in your briefcase. If you need a thumbprint… "

"Got it." The teen nodded, trying to act neutral as a security guard peered over at them. He reclined back in his seat more and tugged at the front of his jacket, trying to keep his posture as formal as possible. "Where will I find you?"

"I'll try to stay inconspicuous for as long as possible. If I need to fight, I'll lead them around the South end of the building. You might get lost, but they have maps around the area sporadically. They should give you a sense of direction. Jump out a window if you have to."

"But the South side would bring us close to -"

"Good afternoon gentlemen." A thick voice interrupted. He had a bushy brown beard, his eyebrows furrowed slightly, looking like nothing more than caterpillars. "I'll need to see your ID, please." He asked crisply, holding out a gloved hand. Vincent shot him a quick smile and reached into his back pocket calmly, extracting the fake ID.

"An ex-Turk, eh?" the guard mused, flipping the card over in his hands a few times. He squinted at the image and looked up and Vincent, then down again. "Yup, that looks like you, Mr.… Viktor Valentino?" The dark haired man nodded cheerily and accepted his ID, slipping it back into his pocket.

"And who's this man with you?" the guard continued. "Roll down the window for him please Mr. Valentino." Vincent obliged and shot Kadaj a meaningful look in the rearview mirror. The teen reached for his briefcase and fumbled with the clasp, pawing around until he found his father's ID.

"Sitoshi Nonaka." He replied, holding up the card for inspection. The guard paused a moment, scratching his chin, then nodded, stepping away from the vehicle.

"All yours, Rick!" he hollered, stepping back inside the station. Another man emerged, this one cleaner looking with slicked dark brown hair. A second man appeared beside him a moment later, this one with sheared blonde hair. They stopped before the blue sedan and stared down at the passengers expectantly. Kadaj swallowed nervously, squeezing his eyes shut, and wrenching them open a second later, hoping the action went undetected. His stomach had evolved from back flips and was now outshining the entire Russian circus.

Simultaneously, he and Vincent opened their doors and stepped out into the dismal sunlight. The air was surprisingly cooler than Kadaj had expected, drenched in the smell of salt from the ocean below. The condensation in the air made for a damp cold, and at once the nape of his neck started to feel clammy and sweaty. He and Vincent exchanged brief looks and stood placidly beside the car, watching as the dark haired man sat in the driver's seat, lifting cup holders and flipping down the visors. His hands nimbly moved over every square inch of the interior, slipping in-between cushions and groves, and sliding under every crevice. He turned the key in the ignition and checked the tape player and the few old electronics installed. Satisfied, he popped the trunk and turned off the engine, moving to the back seats and repeating the process.

All the while, Kadaj could see Vincent out of the corner of his eyes. To his surprise, the gunner had pulled off a sort of bored and relaxed attitude, rubbing his shoulder and lazily watching the birds move in from the coast. Kadaj himself stood with his hands shoved into his jackets pockets, legs braced apart to keep his body from shaking. The piercing blue eyes of the blonde man next to him tore through his skin, gauging every movement, ready to alert his partner if the suspects had alerted him to search a certain part of the car more thoroughly. Self consciously, Kadaj pulled his balled fists from his pockets, straightening the jacket once more, and clasping his hands behind his back studiously. He licked his lips and tried to look around in feigned disinterest.

The darker haired man had moved on to the trunk, searching for anything incriminating. At long last he closed the trunk, giving the license plate a cursory glance before nodding. As he went to close the rear passenger door, something caught his eye. Bending down, he extracted a lumpy red object from beneath the driver's seat, turning around to face the other three. Kadaj's throat constricted, and suddenly he found it difficult to breathe.

"What's this?" a chocolate coloured brow cocked suspiciously, green eyes zeroing in on Vincent. "Mr. Valentino, I believe this was under your seat?"

"It was." Vincent nodded nonchalantly. "Just an old cape my grandfather gave me years ago. I forget I leave it there half the time, but since he passed, I haven't had the heart to remove it. He loved it very much, see." He concluded fluently, a touch of sadness tinting his words. The dark haired man glanced at his blonde counterpart, who nodded curtly. The first man proceeded to unfold the cloak, snapping it once unfurled. The tattered edges blew in the wind, looking like a tired flag that had survived a long battle. Content that nothing was stowed inside the folds of the material, the man rolled the cloak back up into some semblance of a fold and placed it on the seat.

"If you could now please stand apart with your arms slightly raised, and feet apart?" the blonde quipped. His voice was silken and surprisingly young. Vincent and Kadaj reluctantly complied, knowing what was coming.

"So Mr. Valentino, what is your business here this afternoon?" the dark haired man asked. His hands moved quickly across Vincent's body in the same way that he had searched the car.

"I'm escorting Sitoshi to the building." Was his sharp response.

"Is that so? And Sitoshi is a Turk?"

"I am." Kadaj replied, holding his voice steady.

"And where are you from, Mr. Nonaka? I've worked here two years and never once have I seen your face." The brunette turned his attention.

"Gongaga." Kadaj answered quickly. Vincent turned to him, covering the startled action by nodding.

"His father's from there. I'm his cousin, and I live out in Nebelheim now." he added.

"And you are an ex-Turk?" the brunette asked.

"Yes." Vincent nodded again.

"So you have never been to this base before?" the blonde asked suspiciously.

"That is correct."

"Then where were you stationed before this?"

"Kalm." Vincent replied smoothly. "That's where my family is from. My grandparents had lived in Rocket Town, so I came back when I retired at twenty five to live nearby. I settled in Nebelheim because it was more to my liking."

"How _exactly_ are you two related?" the blonde continued, not buying Vincent's story.

"My grandfather had eight brothers, you see." Vincent began. "He was the oldest, and the fifth son was Sitoshi's grandfather. From there they obviously grew up, married, and had children, who are our parents. So Sitoshi and I are more of second cousins really, but because of the age difference of our parents, I'm more of his uncle than anything."

"And what was your father's name?" the blonde persisted.

"Grenier." Vincent covered, almost correctly answering 'Grimoire'. "And Sitoshi's father was also named Sitoshi, so he's a junior." He smiled in a fatherly way at Kadaj that made the teen almost want to punch him.

'_How does he come up with this shit?'_ he wondered wildly, feeling slightly violated after a thorough frisking. _'And how does he pull off being so… happy?'_

"How long have you been in the service, Mr. Nonaka?" the brunette asked, staring Kadaj down with his even gaze.

"Three years." The teen replied as coolly as he could muster. "I enlisted at sixteen, as soon as Shin-ra would accept me." He found it a struggle not to curl his lips in disgust at the words.

"And somehow, you've garnered all of these…?" the blonde added, staring at the numerous bars over Kadaj's left breast.

"My father had a high standing position in his day. Second class, bronze star." He recalled thankfully.

"Which regiment?"

"Fifth."

"You lie." The brunette smirked triumphantly.

"What?!" Kadaj exclaimed, his heart pounding uncontrollably in his chest. "No… no." Then he realized his mistake. His father hadn't been a Turk, he'd been… "He was a General in SOLDIER. Because of that, I had a good in to Shin-ra's programs. I trained as both a Turk and in Shin-ra's special guard during my first year of service, trying to decide which route to take." He quickly devised. "Socially standing, I was able to enter in at a much higher level than others, so I got a few of these from that status alone." He said, indicating to the bars. "The others are for years and service. Different training camps and missions."

"Is that so…?" the blonde drawled, glaring at the regalia. "So what does this one stand for?" he asked, selecting a random bar. Kadaj peered down at it, and his heart sank. It was upholstered in red fabric, a blue band running vertically on one end.

"This one?" he asked, buying time. He could just feel Vincent urging him on mentally. "It's for… pole arms." He finished. "For completing a year's worth of training. I took the rifle as my official weapon as a Turk, but went back for a year's worth of pole arm training. It was more challenging, and merited a bar for completion and mastery."

The blonde and brunette looked at each other uncertainly. The lions had been released in the Russian circus in Kadaj's stomach, and he suddenly felt that same uncomfortable metallic fear that he'd felt back in the sedan's trunk. At long last, the blonde nodded slowly.

"How old is that bar?" he asked slowly, the cogs clearly turning in his mind.

"This one, or this kind of bar?" Kadaj asked hopefully.

"Both."

"Well, I've only had this bar about…" he calculated quickly on his fingers. "Well, only two years really." _'First of four years was double training, second year being a Turk and pole arms.'_ He thought quickly. "The bar itself was new then at the time. …Scarlet's idea." He added, recalling the name of the Head of Weaponry on one of the literature packets Reeve had faxed. Whatever the blonde was going to retort with, he bit back, looking at his partner. The brunette shrugged, and then nodded.

"Very well Mr.'s. Valentino and Nonaka. If we can take only a minute more of your time, may we see your briefcase?" he asked, stepping back and indicating that Vincent was permitted to resume the wheel.

"Of course." Kadaj admitted, surrendering the case at once. After a few tense moments, the two handed the case back to him and closed his passenger door.

"A good day to you sir's." the blonde called formally. "I look forward to seeing you here at South Ridge again soon, Mr. Nonaka." He said, locking eyes with Kadaj. His own glinted with a subtle danger. "Perhaps we can train together some time." With that, the two Turks stepped away from the car and the giant metal gates opened to welcome them into the unforgiving prison-like fortress.


	17. Espionage

**Jenova's Children Jenova's Children**

**By Kawaii and Junsui**

**Author's Note:** Kawaii here-- didn't realize I forgot to post this chapter after Junsui finished it a few days ago! Durr... anywho, the next chapter is coming along swimmingly. Its already 20-something pages O.o I'm going to try and write the whole thing, and it will probably get split into two chapter's by the time I'm done-- yeesh! Anywho, just a warning, the beginning of this chapter does contain mild hints of BL. You might wanna skip Yazoo's letters to Kadaj if that doesn't sit well with you.

**Chapter 17**

**Espionage**

Riku sighed and sank into the orange bean bag, bored out of his ever-loving mind. The only others in the house were his mother and Yuffie, and after arguing for a half-hour whether they should cook Floyd for dinner, they set aside their differences and decided to make something together. Apparently that something was a strawberry rhubarb pie. "But it even has a lattice crust!" his mother proclaimed proudly. Riku didn't honestly care if the crust looked like a Cactuar so long as it was there. In fact, he had no idea what a 'lattice crust' even was. So here he was, watching an old re-run of _Lab Coats_.

DJ and Kirk were at the bar after work as usual, and Kirk was picking on DJ for ordering an Appletini because it was gay. Having seen the particular episode _only_ four times before, Riku flipped the channel. _I Love North Carolina!_ Next. _Home_. Huh, another doctor show… what else. _Silver's Analysis_, _Scandalous Mistresses_, _FOUND_, _Protagonists_. Nothing new, par usual. Riku sighed heavily, twisting in his seat. A lump in the mattress above caught his eye. Curious – with nothing better to do than investigate abnormalities in bedding – he lifted the comforter a little at the corner.

Below, on the quilt was a book. The cover displayed a familiar image of a blonde woman held by a shirtless, tanned man. "_Whispered Heart Shattered_?" Riku frowned, picking it up by the spine. "How did that get… Kadaj." He said finally. "I asked him what was taking him so long and he threw something down on the bed. But what…? Why _this_?" Curious, he flipped open the cover. "This is disgustingly pink." He muttered under his breath. "Why the hell would Kadaj ever read something like this?"

He thumbed through the pages, finding nothing unusual. As he turned a page, a soft packet slipped out and landed on the floor. Riku blinked and knelt down to collect it; it appeared to be notebook paper folded into a small heart. Quirking an eyebrow, he pulled a small tab in the center and it unfolded. He smoothed the wrinkles on the paper using his thigh before plopping down on the bed. The navy blue ink it was written in was faded and smudged in the creases of the yellowing paper. The handwriting was long and delicate, as if it were simplified calligraphy.

_Kadaj, _

_I'm sorry about what happened the other night. I really didn't mean to hurt you like that. I just didn't want you going into that nightclub… you're so much younger than me and my other friends and I didn't think you'd be able to handle all the partying and drinking going on. I don't mean to make you out as a child, but I care for you so deeply and I want to protect your innocence. You're probably laughing and asking "What innocence, you idiot?" by this point, but you're always in such a hurry to grow up, Kadaj, and you need to enjoy the younger years while you have them. I love you so, my pet, and you never need fear when I don't want you around. It's not because I don't love you. This is my favorite book, and I thought about you the entire time I was reading it. Think of it as a peace offering. If you accept this apology, then I'll be waiting at my window for you tonight at eleven. If not, I guess I'll just sleep alone tonight. _

_I await you with open arms, my pet._

Riku's eyes widened considerably and he blinked several times in shock at what followed, nearly dropping the letter. There had to be some sort of wording error if it really was from… but it was clearly addressed to Kadaj and unmistakably signed:

_Love, _

_Yazoo _

Chills ran down Riku's spine and he folded the letter back into its original shape, hastily shoving it back into the book where it had been. He slammed the cover closed and tossed it onto the bed as if it were infected.

Kadaj obviously liked women, with the way he'd teased the girl at the chocobo ranch and how he'd gone on about potential maids at the hotel, but he'd never really seemed to be the type to be interested in other men… then again, the way Haruki had assumed that he and Riku were lovers was slightly suspicious.

'_So what if he's bi?_' Riku thought to himself, leaping off of the bed. Downstairs, he could hear Haruki and Yuffie having a heated discussion, and outside was the sound of Floyd and October warking loudly at each other, '_I'll just… I'll pretend I never read that. EVER._'

Riku sighed and paced around the room in circles. He was still in a mild state of shock yet was still infinitely bored. He tugged at the trench coat he wore and wrinkled his nose up in disgust. It'd be a good idea to take a shower and get a change of clothes. Kadaj probably had some old clothes he could borrow. The teen slunk across the room and pushed open the door; he could now hear Yuffie and Haruki's argument audibly.

"—chandelier. Supposedly, it's great for burning calories." Yuffie was saying, "I wouldn't know because I have no weight to loose. Skin and bones."

"It's probably because you two're at it all the time. You really need to gain some weight if you're having children, girl." Haruki huffed, Riku's eye twitched. He did NOT want to know what they were talking about, but he had a pretty good idea.

"Uh, Mom?" He called out nervously.

"Yes, dear?" Haruki shouted back.

"C-could I borrow some of Kadaj's old clothes?" Riku inquired, now severely creeped out.

"Sure thing!" She replied cheerfully, returning to her previous discussion, "So, since you're so skinny, that must mean he's _really_—"

Riku slammed the door, burying his face in his hands in sheer embarrassment. "Ewwww…" He mumbled into them. He remained that way for several seconds before spreading two of his fingers and peeking out at Kadaj's closet. With a sigh, he hopped onto his feet and walked over to the door. It swung open with ease, which was a surprise to Riku, whom expected it to be filled to the brim with shit. He pulled a small black hoodie off of the hanger and held it up against him for inspection; the sleeves appeared to be several inches too short.

'_He's shorter than me already, so his clothes from when he was younger _have_ to be really small… brilliant idea, Riku…_' He thought to himself, replacing the jacket. As he went to close the door, there was a slight shifting from the shelf above the hangers and an old, black Doodlers box fell onto the floor spilling the contents everywhere. Inside was a long strip of photo booth pictures, a pile of letters and a black journal with a pen still inside the spiraling plastic. Riku cracked it open. On the first page, in loud emerald ink, it read:

_Kadaj E. Nonaka's Journal. Keep Out, Fuckers._

Riku rolled his eyes and flipped the page. In the same ink and scratchy writing, there was a brief passage written.

_There is never a good beginning to anything. It's never clear when something begins. A love, a hate, a passion. Although, it is clear when the peak of those has been reached. The climax. One can always look back at that. It is never clear when there is an end, either. Two people part, only to meet later. If only to make eye contact for a split second. The end can extend farther into another life, where it can be interpreted as a beginning. You see, everything is connected in some way. A second can change how the world runs, how the world runs can change in a second. Everything and everything is intertwined. Coincidences are just a small part of the bigger picture—the spider's web that connects it all._

'_Kadaj wrote that?_' Riku thought, emerald and cobalt eyes growing wide. '_Weird… I never really thought he'd be that deep…_'

He closed the journal and returned it to the shoebox before picking up the strip of photo booth pictures. The first was of Kadaj, roughly thirteen or fourteen, and Yazoo, who would've been sixteen or seventeen at the time, their arms slung around each other as they flashed peace signs at the camera. In the next, Yazoo was cradling Kadaj's face like a worried mother and the later with his eyes scrunched up, tongue stuck out in mock disgust. In the third one, Kadaj was spazzing out while Yazoo stuck his tongue out at the camera in a brat-like way. Within the final one, the two were locked in an innocent kiss, Yazoo looking smug while Kadaj was embarrassed and vaguely annoyed.

'_So I guess they _were_ dating…_' Riku decided, placing the photos back where they had been and unfolding one of the notes. It was in Yazoo's calligraphy-esque handwriting, but done in thin pencil instead. There was fuzz on the side of the paper, making it appear as if it had been ripped out of a notebook

_**Cette classe dure pour toujours**_**,** _my pet._ _I'm the top student in this class, and not to mention tomorrow is finals. I have nothing to study for, seeing as I'm confidant that I'll pass (as always). I cannot believe I'm going to be graduating in twenty-four hours! My senior year seemed to fly by… I just wish I'd had more time to spend with you, my pet. It'll be hard when I leave for culinary school in September; I know you hate it whenever we're apart. But it's only a two hour drive and I doubt anyone would suspect anything since you're a boy… _

_I think about you a lot, my sweet pet, whenever I can spare a minute. I cannot wait until I get out of this god awful classroom so we can study together tonight... I can possibly even invite you over to spend the night tomorrow. We've been busy with finals for so long that we've hardly been able to do anything. I miss the feel of your warm flesh against mine—_

And that was MORE than Riku needed to know thank-you-very-much. With a thoroughly disturbed expression, he replaced the things in the shoebox and shoved it back above the clothing rack before going to the bathroom to shower thoroughly for the next twenty minutes.

* * *

He held her tiny hand, as pale and cold as porcelain, in his for the last time.

"This is weird… usually Tifa is always yelling at us to stay out of the freezer, but now you have to stay in here." Denzel gave Marlene's hand a gentle squeeze, hazel eyes tender with emotion, "It's kinda funny… in a sick sort of way."

He reached up to brush the hair from her eyes, "You know, Marlene… I never had any siblings of my own. I was an only child. I always saw you as my little sister, someone to protect." He sighed shakily, feeling a numb disconnection of his body and soul, "Guess I didn't do so well, huh?"

* * *

"Denzel's been in there for a long time." Tifa commented, pulling nervously on the edge of her burgundy sweatshirt, "Do you think he's cold?"

"Let him be." Cloud said in a monotone voice. He was sitting at the bar, elbows up on the smooth surface; his blonde head rested over clasped hands. "He needs to take his time to say goodbye."

Tifa bit her lip and stared down at the floor before reaching up to rub nervously at one of her arms, crossing the room to where she'd abandoned a half-packed box. Within it was the majority of their materia, several pouches of phoenix down, as well as a large case of potions that they'd kept under the bar in case of emergencies; she lifted the box with ease, carrying it behind the bar and bumping the swinging door to the kitchen open with her hip.

Once inside, Tifa began to go through the cabinets, pulling out a large box of ramen and neatly placing the contents in the box. After a quick scouring of the rest of the cupboards and the pantry, she had neatly packed a two dozen power bars, plenty of bottled water, as well as the majority of the vitamins and medicines she kept in the kitchen.

Tifa then folded the box closed and set her forehead upon it, feeling the tears well up in her eyes once more. Marlene was dead and she was packing to leave her partially-destroyed home—possibly forever. In a matter of hours, all she had ever strived to build had been destroyed. How long until she lost another one of her family? She felt like vomiting, but instead, she bit back her tears and carried the box back into the bar with an empty expression.

* * *

Denzel laid his brow against Marlene's, holding both her hands to his chest. Tears fell from his eyes, landing upon her pale cheeks and making tiny discolorations where they slid off, crying for her.

"I promise you…" He whispered tremulously, his shoulders beginning to shake with the effort of containing his tears, which fell rapidly, nevertheless, "I won't let anything like this happen ever again. _Ever_."

* * *

Cloud felt too heavy to move.

Every time he breathed in, his muscles stretched taught and weightless, and every time he exhaled, they moaned and ached in protest.

Unblinking eyes stared at the same speck of ebony upon the counter. His mind still buzzed to a blank every time he attempted to think, barely registering the sounds of Tifa maneuvering around the house.

What had happened in the last few hours?

He vaguely recalled running through the streets, hacking relentlessly at dark shapes, following someone at a sprint, dark chocolate hair rippling behind them like a swaying waterfall, something had happened, and then he'd told someone to do something. Even then, his mind had hardly been connected to his mouth and he'd just been breathing instructions like the emotionally drained leader that he was.

Something soft was placed upon his shoulder, silky tresses brushing against his cheek.

"Cloud…" A gentle voice whispered into his ear.

Before the towhead even knew what she was doing, the brunette's face was buried into Cloud's chest, clutching the front of his shirt. He kissed the top of her head lovingly, allowing her to sob into his chest.

"Tifa…"

* * *

The immense building stretched upwards into the heavens. It was a bleak, prison-like structure made of a combination of metal plates and dense gray stucco siding. Small square windows adorned the higher levels of the facility, darkly reflecting the heavy clouds. Kadaj stared at the large double doors, his throat run dry. This was ludicrous. He was going to die.

"I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, I'm gonna-" he chanted softly to himself, climbing the concrete stairs. He placed a hand to the cool metal of the door, exhaled, then stepped inside. A gasp tore from his throat upon entering. Despite the harsh exterior of the building, the inside was lavishly decorated. The floors were tiled in a black and white marbled checker pattern, the receptionist's desk made of the same black marble. Silver-brushed sconces adorned the walls at even intervals, tall plants shooting up from grates in the floor. A large fountain lay in the next room on, seen below the upstairs walkway. Two large staircases led up to this bridge, one on either side of the front desk, the banisters a polished silver. Black runners ran down each staircase, the ends pooling into a large image of the Shin-ra logo. Apparently loyalty still remained.

The woman at the desk looked up expectantly, her blonde hair swept up into a tight bun. "Might I help you, Sir?" she inquired.

"Uh…" Kadaj faltered, thinking quickly. "This is my first time on this base. Could you perhaps provide me with a map of the place?"

"We have no maps, Sir – security reasons. There are some sporadically placed within the building if you get lost, however. If you wish, I may direct you?"

"Ah, well thank you then. Further direction isn't necessary. Thanks again."

"You're welcome Sir." The woman smiled. "Have a good day then." She returned to her clipboard, dismissing him. Kadaj nervously bit the inside of his lip, trying to be as unnoticeable as possible. He presumed the best course of action would be to proceed up the stairs. As he turned to go, a large erected column caught his eye. He paced over to it, and called over his shoulder, "Would this be a map, Miss?"

"Yes, Sir, that would be one." She replied, not looking up from her work. Kadaj examined the map carefully, absorbing in as much detail as possible. The area ahead was the cafeteria, the fountain being its center point. The walkway overlooked the eatery on one side, the lobby on the other. Both of the stairs lead up to the same destinations – to the right were the observatory, sleeping lodge, and gym, and to the left was a curving hallway edged by small offices. Here the map ended with little arrows indicating that more stairs lay at the end of the left hallway and between the gym and kitchenette, with two elevators in the eatery, one leading up, the other down.

The teen sighed heavily. There was a good chance that the file room would be in the basement, but there was really no way of knowing. He went with his better instinct and took the left stairway, turning into the wide hall. With as much ease as he could muster, he strode along, nodding occasionally to passersby. Most seemed too hurried to notice him, much to Kadaj's relief, and ran right on passed him. After a while, he approached the second flight of stairs. A small plaque was posted to the wall beside it, and the teen stopped to examine it. This was another map, showing both the level he was on and the one he was about to enter. The cluster of rooms above were marked very cryptically – rooms A1, A2, and A3 all appeared about the same, and across the way rooms B1, B2, and B3 looked slightly larger if not identical to the 'A' set. There was also an elevator in this room, as well as a hallway and another flight of stairs.

Taking his chances, Kadaj maneuvered upstairs and through the twisted paths to the other hall. It stretched out before him rather mysteriously, forking at the end into two separate halls. The katana wielder walked along, noting the pictures on the wall that honestly gave him no further information. There were no plaques at the fork, so Kadaj ventured a guess and took the right one, hoping it would lead him to where he needed to go. Inside this room were more closed rooms, a small table in the center of them. It depicted a small building model of South Ridge as well as the original Shin-ra building that had been erected in Midgar, now since demolished by time and Meteorfall.

This room didn't extend elsewhere, so Kadaj backtracked and took the left passage. After climbing three more sets of stairs and backtracking yet again, the teen was finding himself rather turned around. There hadn't been a plaque on the last two floors at least, and the rooms were starting to look the same. With an edge of desperation, he stepped inside the nearest elevator. There was no map here either. He sighed and pushed the up button, moving ahead to the next floor. "God, I hope this works."

* * *

Vincent drummed on the steering wheel absentmindedly, gazing out into the gathering clouds. The wind had picked up and was starting to even bother him. He had rolled up the windows and turned on the heat, the car choking noisily with the effort. He doubted that the thing had been run in many years. A few gulls cried out on the horizon and he entertained himself with watching their spiraling patterns. His ruby eyes flicked to the Shin-ra building, then back to the clouds, repeating the motion every so often. He was on edge.

Reclining back in his seat, he sighed. If Kadaj was caught, so was he. He would know far ahead of time, if not at the same time. He ran over their plausible escape plans in his head. With any luck they would not only get out alive but leave gracefully without detection. He glanced in detest at the cassette player and wished desperately for music. He needed something soothing to calm his nerves. He hated waiting outside while a friend went on alone into unknown waters. Vincent, for his stoic behavior, itched to join the fight, but his patience restrained his urge. With nothing else to do, he sang softly to himself in French, translating the lyrics in his head:

"_Ils disent le phénomène, _

_Quand vous êtes choisi, _

_Le rouge, bon il filtre à travers. _

_Fixez ainsi, la menace est vrai, _

_Quand sa vue va rouge encore. _

_Revoyant le rouge, revoyant le rouge. _

_Ce changement, il ne contiendra pas, _

_Glisser loin, à l'espace libre votre esprit. _

_Une fois demandé, qui lui a fait l'exposition, _

_La vérité, lui donne dedans aux la plupart. _

_Fixez ainsi, la menace est vrai, _

_Quand sa vue va rouge encore…"_

He frowned, examining the rearview mirror as the words died on his lips. Two figures walked towards him, their heads bent against the wind and cold. He rolled down the window and waited, the blonde approaching first. "Hello Sir." Vincent said warmly, his knuckles going white on the wheel.

"Hello Mr. _Valentino_." The blonde spat.

"Is something wrong, Sir?" the darker inquired, keeping his tones level.

"There are some things we have found interesting, Sir." The second Turk voiced, clasping his hands before him. The security guard had called him 'Rick'.

"Interesting, you say?"

"Yes, Sir. Interesting. I think it might come to your surprise that the only files for a Mr. 'Sitoshi A. Nonaka' we have on record are marked MIA." The brunette said darkly.

"Yes, that would be correct." Vincent wracked his brain, recalling the conversation from earlier. "If you recall, good Sirs, that would be Sitoshi Sr. that you have on record. Our own Sitoshi _Jr._ is probably not in the database yet. You and I both know it takes Shin-ra a bit of time to enter in newcomers."

"Very good, Mr. Valentino." The blonde still sounded disdainful. "Very good indeed. But there is something else as well – we have no 'Viktor Valentino' in our database."

"Ah, well there must be some mis-"

"We do, however, have a Mr. _Vincent Valentine_, associated with the anti-Shin-ra establishment AVALANCHE."

"An ex-Turk from 50 years prior, might it be said." Rick added. "Remove yourself from the vehicle, Mr. Valentine. We are awaiting instruction."

"I don't believe all this is necessary, gentlemen." Vincent replied tersely.

"It is indeed Sir, you have breached security. Remove yourself from the vehicle." The blonde insisted. His gloved hand moved to his side defensively. Vincent tensed, edging around for the gun he knew wasn't there with him. Biting his tongue in annoyance, he placed a hand to the door, fingers gripping around the window slot. "_Now_, Mr. Valentine." The blonde called, extracting the handgun from his waistband.

"What clued you in?" Vincent asked, unmoving. He weighed his options rapidly, forcing himself not to chance glances at the building that concealed his companion.

"When you left, we both agreed the name was vaguely familiar." Rick replied thinly, holding a hand over the barrel of his companion's gun. Simultaneously, he reached around to grab for his own. "It was the arm, mainly."

Vincent nodded, "I thought as much. You can thank _Hojo_ for that, like much everything else." He smirked strangely – a look of contempt and bitter regret. With that, he kicked out the door, flying out of the metal monster and landing in a crouch behind the two Turks. They paused for only a second, and then there was the twin clicking sounds of guns being cocked, followed shortly by a barrage of gunshots.

* * *

By the fifth floor, he had gotten turned around three times. By the sixth, he had backtracked once. By the ninth he was tired. By the twelfth he was desperate. "This is fucking ridiculous!" Kadaj shrieked, his words unheard by any but himself. "It should NOT be this hard to find a fucking filing room. It's _supposed_ to be huge." He trudged forward irately, letting the suitcase bang rhythmically against his legs. He hadn't seen a directional plaque for the last eight floors. Apparently the woman at the front desk didn't expect him to push past those first four floors.

Kadaj rounded yet another corner and had the sinking sense of déjà vu. Everything within South Ridge was unified. The walls were all the same nondescript colour, the carpet was all one shade of dark Berber. The levels were set up identical to the last, and consequently, the next. Bathrooms were arranged in the same places, stairwells and elevators in the same locations. Even plants had been grown in matching areas. It all equated to a depressing, confusing, mind-numbing uniformity.

"I swear to God, I didn't leave this floor…" the teen muttered under his breath. "What the hell floor is this, anyway?!" he looked about for any indicator, and finding none, ascended the nearest stairs. At the top of the landing, the now black-haired teen whooped with excitement. Finally he had worked passed all of the office floors. He was now up on a higher, executive level, with marble tiled floors and clean looking walls. The whole floor, Kadaj found, had a more powerful, perfectioned feel to it. Slowly, he began to get a nervous sensation in his gut. How long had it been? Where was Vincent? Why did he say to escape to the south end of the building if need be? What if they were caught? What if-?

"No time for 'what ifs'." Kadaj murmured to himself. "Not gonna do you any good worrying." Floor fourteen was slightly more promising than its predecessors. It had numerous unmarked doors that Kadaj was half-afraid to enter and even less people than on the lower levels. Still, he was on edge and forced himself to appear formal and disciplined. His arm throbbed at odd intervals, causing him to suppress gasps. This one might require a doctor. He grimaced at the thought. He didn't like them any more than Riku did.

He saw a fork in the road ahead of him. Making up his mind as he went, he veered to the right and collided with something hard. He stumbled backwards and quickly regained stability, his eyes still spotting from the impact. There was a low rumbling sound, and as his vision cleared, he found himself staring up at a pair of dark shades. He coughed importantly, readying an apology.

"Awe!" a voice trilled. Kadaj looked sharply to the right. A short blonde with an A-line smiled at him secretly, a hand placed on her hip. He could tell by her uniform that she was a Turk, and by the look in her eyes, he could assume that she was up to no good. No Turk ever was. Even with her diminished stature – only emphasized by the enormous man beside her – she stood a head taller than Kadaj. "Look, Rude." She cooed. "It's a newbie."

That's right. It may have been a SOLDIER uniform he wore, but Kadaj _was_ posing as a Turk.

"He's not so new, Elena." The bald man replied calmly. "See the bars?"

"Hmn, suppose so." She admitted reluctantly. "New here?" she redirected the question to the teen before her.

"You could say that." Kadaj replied. "I'm visiting, really. Out from Junon." He recalled.

"Oh really? What's new there?"

"Not much, honestly. It's been rather boring. No action." Kadaj laughed nervously, covering it with light humor. He could easily be wrong.

"Never any fun." Elena agreed. "Not much here either. We're relocating for a bit too – Rude and I, I mean." She added, hitching her thumb towards her companion. "A good majority of us Turks are heading up North. Trouble's brewing." Her eyes sparked with electricity. "Should be a few good fights to fight."

"We're helping out the people." Rude specified, placing a large hand on the blonde's shoulder. She pouted. "Shin-ra is split, as I'm sure you know, on governmental issues. Most of us wish to atone for our Sins, however… well, you know how it goes around here."

"There are always loyalists." Kadaj nodded in disgust.

"What about you?" Elena quipped.

"Me?"

"Yeah… you going north too?"

"Perhaps…" Kadaj mused, thoughts flashing through his mind. "What's going on up north? I haven't heard much news during my travel here."

"Makes sense." Rude nodded sagely. "Even those with Shin-ra are worried about intercepted messages."

"Right." Elena said. "Of course, there are always rumors. _Always_ are rumors. All we know for fact is that stuff is going down in Edge – literally. Collapsing buildings, deaths, attacks, strange creatures. It's a revolt of some kind and it's getting attention. People are afraid of it, and others go off to search it out, for whatever reason. We're all sort of in a governmental downfall right now." she bit her lip nervously. "Some of the people want us Turks – everyone associated with Shin-ra – dead. That way 'the past can't possibly repeat itself'."

Kadaj shivered, a chill seeping into his veins. "Dead?" he echoed.

"Right, but we're covered." The blonde said, sounding a bit forced. "Reeve is taking care of things. You know Shin-ra's remains were pretty much left to him? He had the most control and information over things, especially after all that business with DEEPGROUND. We Turks up north have actually been assisting the WRO, but I suppose they don't have things like that over in Junon."

"No, not that I've been informed of." Kadaj replied distantly, absorbing the information hungrily. Something was definitely off. "So you're headed to assist the people, you said?"

"Right." Rude said. He paused uncomfortably for a moment, glancing over to gauge Elena's reaction. He shifted in place awkwardly. "Well, the people are trying to find shelter. They're all afraid for their lives. Most all of them, anyway. There is rumor… well, let rumors stay rumors. There is a rebel organization of sorts that is causing this, and part of our job is to uncover them."

"With any luck, it's just one of the many violent gangs that have arisen since DEEPGROUND arrived." The blonde said fervently. Rude punched her elbow softly.

"Luck? What exactly are we dealing with here?! What _are_ the rumors?" Kadaj asked, growing alarmed.

"Do you recall when Geostigma spread over Gaia?" Elena asked.

"Of course."

"Then perhaps you remember that rebel band of remnants?"

"Yes." Kadaj's grip on his briefcase threatened to break the handle in two.

"There is talk that people like them… well, people still loyal to Sephiroth and the old Shin-ra, are trying to finish what was started." she finished, pursing her lips.

"Sephiroth." The katana-wielder repeated, words void of emotion.

"Well… yes." Elena replied awkwardly, Rude nodding softly beside her. To Kadaj, it felt as if the room had been sucked dry of any and all moisture, leaving a bone-dry, raspy air. Suddenly, he was claustrophobic, and pressure clogged his ears. _Run, run, run… _His hands clenched instinctually, his jaws bound shut. An idea hit him.

"That's interesting." He choked out at long last. "I think I'd like to research that area's gang activity over the last few years. Also, if this base has a list of assumed Sephiroth supporters? It wouldn't hurt to check, would it?" he suggested. The two Turks looked to each other unsurely.

"We've gone over the statistics for the most part, but we assumed the Sephiroth bit as rumor, and only rumor." Rude said. "However… it might not hurt to-" His words were drowned out by a long, shrill wail. Kadaj gasped and covered his sensitive ears, the Turks tensing and looking about wildly, reaching for their weapons. As the sound elevated to a keening scream, red strobe lights whirred to life.

"THIS IS NOT A DRILL. ASSUME YOUR POSITIONS EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATE." An automated voice sounded over the PA system. Kadaj froze, rooted to the spot. There was a loud rumble of opening and banging doors and the frenzied shouting from all around. "THERE HAS BEEN A SECURITY BREACH. ASSUME POSITIONS NOW."

"You coming, eh…?" Elena called excitedly. Kadaj stuttered.

"Sitoshi, it's Sitoshi."

"Right, well?" she bounced eagerly on the balls of her feet.

"I'm not accustomed to the procedures here…" the teen gnawed his lip, sweat plastering his hair to his neck. This was the last place he wanted to be. Rude was already down the hallway.

"Elena?!" he called semi-impatiently.

"One sec, I'll meet up with you!" the blonde replied hastily. The dark skinned man disappeared with surprising speed. "Look, I think you're on to something about the records." She rushed, eyes darting everywhere but at Kadaj. "The file room is at the end of the hall on the floor above us. Lock the door when you get in, just in case. I take it they didn't let you come in armed?" The teen shook his head 'no'. "Right, well. Luck!" she cried out, darting away.

Upon her departure, Kadaj allowed himself to exhale heavily. The worst might just be over. But Vincent… no, Vincent was strong enough to handle himself. He would be fine. With a destination in mind, the teen bounded away. His feet skidded loudly against the marble floors, and he flung himself forward towards the stairwell, ramming his ribs roughly into the handrail. He cried out and jumped over the banister, taking the stairs two at a time.

The landing was unusually narrow, and Kadaj had to run with an arm out to steady himself. His bandaged arm hindered his equilibrium, and he cursed profusely as he tripped up taking a corner. The potted plant tipped over and split across the walkway. Ceramic shards dug into the soles of his boots, but like all else, he ignored it and pushed on.

People rushed passed him, taking no notice of his unusual course. Their jostling bodies didn't help his predicament either. By the end of the main hall, the majority of the crowd had dispersed, rounded up by a loud, barking voice. He panted heavily as he examined the large door before him. It was metal and unforgiving, the center meshed together in jagged spikes. Kadaj vaguely thought it similar to how keys fit inside keyholes. He eyed the box sticking out from the wall beside it. There was a blank screen, below which was a small rectangular pad and a keypad with a card swipe. The screen flashed, "Please swipe ID" in white text, a cursor waiting at the end of the string dutifully.

"Shit, oh shit." Kadaj swore loudly. His fake ID couldn't possibly pass this test. He looked at the pad. Fingerprint scan. Great. He retreated a few paces, adrenaline coursing through his veins. He didn't have much time until they realized there was a trespasser inside the building. Vincent could only hold off for so long… There was no way to break through the door; even with Materia it would be difficult. The teen turned back towards the hall of doors. They all stood ajar, the walkway littered with trash and papers. Something caught the light and he bent over to retrieve the object. His hand pulled away as if bitten as he realized it was an employee ID. He threw down his briefcase and pawed through the contents, tugging out the clear roll of packing tape. He tore off a piece savagely and laid it over the face of the card, smoothing out the front. Pulling it off the floor, he paced over to the computer and removed the card gingerly. He swiped it and waited apprehensively.

There was a low whirring, and then the computer read, "Thank You, Ms. Suzumura", and then, "Please enter your company ID on the keypad". Kadaj looked the card over, flipping it over by the corner. There at the bottom, atop the barcode, was a number. He punched it in and crossed his fingers. After a second, the computer prompted the next stage, "Please present your fingerprints for identification". The katana-user threw the card into his briefcase and pressed the tape to the pad using the back of his hand, assuring his prints wouldn't show through. The screen went black and Kadaj inhaled sharply.

"Shit… what just happened?! What just-?!" And with a giant suck of air, the metal doors slid open, admitting him entrance.

* * *

His golden arm rose, quickly deflecting the two oncoming bullets. He crouched and rolled to the side to keep from getting hit by the seceding barrage. Vincent sprung, flipping back over the heads of the two Turks. The blonde turned faster, firing at will. A swish of air brushed Vincent's left shoulder. He growled and bounded backwards toward the blue sedan. His booted foot scraped along the side door, erupting in an ear-splitting _scree_. The two men opposite him winced; their guns temporarily slack in their hands.

Vincent seized the opportunity, jumping onto the car's roof. Rick fired this time, one hand fumbling in his jacket pocket. The bullet tore through the air where Vincent stood only seconds before. The dark-haired man ducked, sliding down the trunk.

"He's going to arm himself!" the blonde yelled, shooting at Vincent's feet. The later scratched at the top of the trunk, splitting back the metal with his clawed hand. He nimbly reached in and sprung the lock, diving for the secret compartment. The car jarred violently, leaning to the side.

"Nice shot, Blitz!" the brunette called. Vincent stilled, realizing something was off. One hand held the rim of the raised door, the other lay over the smooth metal of his gun. He glanced over to the two men darkly. They stood defensively but still, the gunfire ceased. Rick held something in his hand. Smirking as he saw Vincent's eyes connect with it, the Turk motioned, "You see this, don't you? This is a button. You don't want me to press this button."

"What are you trying to do?" Vincent posed.

"I'd much like to know that myself." Emerald eyes narrowed at him. "Who was the young man with you?"

"Sitoshi Nonaka Jr." Vincent replied. A bullet whizzed by and landed by his foot.

"Who was the young man with you?"

"The son of Sitoshi A. Nonaka." Vincent rephrased.

"Very good, Mr. Valentine. Now," Rick continued, gun still cocked. "…how did you come to meet the young man?"

"I'm like an uncle to him, if you-" The bullet landed closer this time.

"Bullshit. How do you know the kid?"

"I _am_ like an uncle to him – the boy has little to no family." Vincent growled. There was a pause.

"Continue, Valentine. Being _like_ something is not the same as _being_ something. How did you meet him?" Rick pressed, his voice level.

"He's in the family."

"Family?"

"The only family I've left." The other retorted.

"You were kept dormant for 50 years. What family could be left?" Blitz spoke up. His thin eyebrow was cocked, making his expression look more exaggerated. "Unless you mean… AVALANCHE."

"That depends. Who are you to ask?" Vincent countered.

"We are Turks." Was all Rick said. He tossed the button lightly.

"I can answer no further until I know-"

"We are loyal to our employer, _Sir_." Blitz spat. "As we should be."

"Then I'm afraid-"

"The boy is involved and you're sending him to his death." Rick interrupted. "You had him tamper with the car, I could tell. There was dried blood in the back of the trunk and he was missing half a fingernail." He gauged Vincent's response. Getting none, he growled irately. "Clearly his safety is of no concern to you. Therefore," he held the button aloft, a smile twisting onto his lips. "it will be of no consequence if I use this."

"What…?" Vincent trailed off.

"It's a quick switch that trips the security lines in all of South Ridge. Hit this and the sirens go off, we go in lock down, and all Turks in the area will be summoned up. The call is received at the front desk and they can pinpoint to a centimeter the coordinates of the call. However…" he brought the device close to his pocket. "…all of this can be simply avoided were you to just answer our questions."

"Your loyalties are to Shin-ra." Vincent said abruptly. "Now pray tell are they to Reeve or to Sephiroth?"

"You insolent-!" Blitz swore.

"You're testing our patience, Valentine." Rick threatened, his voice dangerously low. "Now, either you comply and save your partner's life, or he dies and you… well, there would be no promising future for you either." She grinned darkly. "So which is it?"

"I will _never_ be Shin-ra's lapdog." Vincent hissed. He rapidly drew, cocked, and fired the large gun concealed in the trunk, igniting the area with flames. There was a click, and then the scream of sirens.

* * *

The place was immense and therefore daunting. Kadaj stood in silent shock in the center of the filing room, encircled by tall rows of drawers and fuzzily lit screens. The sound of an explosion brought him spiraling back to the situation and he started, casting about for a computer. He raced passed two broken monitors to a large green screen with similar white text. "Please enter your quarry", it read.

Kadaj set the briefcase beside him and clicked it back open. The papers were jumbled, crinkling under his hurried fingers. A piece of binder paper stuck out at an odd angle from its formal companions. Spotting it, Kadaj plucked it and a ballpoint pen from the contents with a small victorious cry, setting them before him. He bent and examined the scratchy handwriting. "R.I.K.U." he murmured softly, typing the initials into the database. The screen flickered, then loaded a new page. It was laid out to look like a manila folder with small boxes of information running along the left side like tabs. In the top right corner was a Polaroid picture clipped to the folder.

Kadaj exhaled heavily, as if the wind was knocked from him. The picture was of an unconscious Riku, aged four. Catlike eyes stared at the screen, his throat constricting. He coughed out a cry and tore his gaze away to scan the text. At the top were the words, "Project R.I.K.U." and underneath, "Jenova #1445". In italics was a single direction to "Section 4A, Row 36, Shelf 3, Serial Number J1445". Hurriedly, he scribbled down the description and printed the page. The printer whirred slowly into life, lazily yielding the information.

Kadaj bounced impatiently in his seat, and then froze. A large explosion outside shook the high windows, a few papers fluttering, startled, into the air like birds. Shaking slightly, Kadaj clicked on the page's links blindly, pressing the 'print screen' option offered on each. He looked down to the paper and read the next prompt. "Sephiroth". This page was the longest he had seen yet, but, like Riku's had few directions. "Section 1A, Row 29, Shelf 2, Serial Number J385". He frowned as something clicked in his mind. He looked over his prompt list and spotted a "#385", just as he recalled. Printing out the page, he punched in the series of numbers. The screen reloaded and brought up a page similar to the "R.I.K.U." one, offering the same reference section as on Sephiroth's page.

Clipped in the corner was the image of a teen, smiling bemusedly at the camera. His hair was a soft silver; hanging just passed his shoulders in long sheets. A gray shirt hung off his frame loosely, still managing to show off his developed chest. One arm was propped up on some unseen object, the other resting on a knee, clutching a small object. Kadaj gaped. This was Sephiroth, aged 15. Beside the brief caption was a cross, which highlighted as the cursor scrolled over it.

Kadaj clicked, numbly staring as the page went green. That was Sephiroth. That was the man he hated more than anything the world possessed. That was the man who killed him, who made his life Hell. That was the man… the page loaded to show many more Polaroid shots. They progressed from a swaddled baby, to a curious infant, to a toddler. Toddler Sephiroth sat squarely in the middle of a room, clutching a stuffed black chocobo. He looked at the camera unhappily, as if irritated that someone was encroaching on his playtime. At nine years of age, he was smirking triumphantly at the camera. He obviously was the one holding the camera; it was angled too high up and at a slightly awkward position. He looked just like Kadaj, hair framing his face, with long bangs parted more heavily to one side than the other. Dressed in loose jeans and a pale blue unbuttoned dress shirt, he looked similar to Yazoo at thirteen. His chest was toned and he had a long katana propped up against the stone wall he leaned on.

There was no denying the resemblance between Sephiroth and the three remnants now. At some point or another, their images mirrored each other. Kadaj fingered the screen, wondering blankly if this was the reason Sephiroth had chosen them. _We fought him. We tried to fight, even though it was impossible. More than that, we all looked like him. He found a sort of home in us. A similarity… an escape._ He blanched and made a small retching sound in the back of his throat. Clicking away from the gallery, he printed the remaining pages, following the links to ensure he got everything.

Snatching up the binder paper in one hand, he dashed out into the main hall, looking up and down. The rows of files were divided into Sections A-Z, each with six subsections to them. From there, each subsection contained 50 rows of shelves, stacked nine tall, and infinitely long. He paced over to Section A, hitting the fours first. It didn't take him too long to locate Bin Number J1425-1450. He pried it open with a grunt; it groaned and grated at the edges, flecks of rust falling to the floor. Kadaj raised himself on his toes and flipped through the tabs until he located number 1445. It was wedged into the back and was packed haphazardly, papers sticking slightly out the top. Kadaj cursed under his breath as he wiggled the folder out, bumping his wrist on the metal above it. Once freed, he tucked it under his arm and shoved the archaic drawer closed, progressing to Subsection One.

The corresponding bin took even less time to find than Riku's, having been in the triple digits rather than the quadruples. With a rush of adrenaline, Kadaj tore open the first bin dedicated to 385 alone. It came to with ease, as if opened many a time and shone darkly. A single scrap of paper lay inside. Shocked, Kadaj picked it up from the bottom of the drawer, quickly reading the single line, "Miss me?" He yelped in shock and dropped it as if it were on fire, panting several feet away. His eyes darted about defensively, wishing desperately for his Shouba. When there was nothing in the heavy silence asides from his own labored breathing, Kadaj moved forward cautiously, shutting the bin. After a moment's hesitation, he took back the note and stuck it into Riku's folder.

Below the bin was another, this one labeled "385-2". Preparing himself for something much worse, Kadaj held his breath. But to his surprise, this one held not only a few sparse folders, but small objects as well. There were several small trinkets, many of which were brightly coloured with tiny chocobos, moogles, and cactuars all over them. There was a beat-up leather wallet, an envelope, and, buried beneath a case of martial art belts, a small yellow beak. Curiously moving the case aside, Kadaj extracted a small black chocobo. Its head lolled to one side, the stuffing shoved into the opposite direction. Its plush fur was worn in places and slightly coarse. Young Sephiroth had well loved the little bird. Someone had lovingly embroidered the word 'Vogel' in red stitching along the chocobos neck. Kadaj traced the cursive lettering, trying to picture its owner – younger, innocent, happy. He shuddered, something unfamiliar slipping over him. Wincing at the feeling, he replaced the stuffed toy.

He picked up the envelope and peered inside. Not finding anything definite, he slipped his hand inside and extracted the contents. A few scribbled drawings were at the forefront along with several sheets of shaky handwriting. Later on, the writing became more fluid, in both neat characters and slanting roman characters that were every so often interrupted by a symbol resembling a wonky capital "B". Drawings became more intricate. Pencil pieces of wings and sloped eyes, dark chocobos and a few of one woman stared back at Kadaj. A few poems appeared later still, some doodled on at the corners, others with notations written in a foreign language.

Lastly were a small handful of photographs. They were mainly of a teenage Sephiroth, clearly taken by himself. Others showed Lucrecia when she wasn't paying attention, a group of people chatting and laughing amongst themselves, and two men, one with black hair, the other with red, with their arms slung around the other's shoulders, looking rather unhappy about their situation.

There were newer photos below these, taken of tents and battle strategy maps. There were men in dark uniforms that drifted at the corners of the shots of varying stature. In the next shot, an energetic young man smiled cheesily into the camera, his arm extended out towards Kadaj. It gave the impression that the dark-haired SOLDIER had swung the lens towards himself when Sephiroth was least expecting it. The next frame had Kadaj yelping in surprise again. It was the same dark-haired man again, this time with his arm slung around a blushing blonde. The blonde's face was partially covered in his uniform's green woolen scarf, but his characteristic blue eyes made it clear as to his identity. _Cloud?_ Kadaj wondered, agape. _No way…_ He flipped the photo over. In Sephiroth's hand was written "Cloud Strife and Zack Fair. Those idiots." _They were friends._ Kadaj thought bluntly. _They were friends. _

There was a hushed rustling behind him, and Kadaj tensed. _I left the door unlocked. Reno had advised… but _we're_ the intruders. Unless…_ his gaze flashed to the drawer he knew to be empty. _Please, oh please don't let him be back._ He replaced the contents of the envelope quickly, snatching up the slim folders and stuffing it all under his arm. He pushed the drawer shut again and ran back to the computer, trying to be as silent as possible. Once there, he started stuffing the briefcase full, snatching papers off the printer and filing them away with the rest. He looked to the screen and groaned.

"The printer is out of paper. Please reload and continue to print from the print queue." It smiled in its bold white font. Kadaj bit out a curse and sought about frantically for paper, snatching the previously disturbed papers from the floor. Turning them rhythmically, he punched the print button and waited for the remainder of his information to process. After what felt like a ridiculously long time, he snapped the briefcase shut and logged off the computer. An odd chill settled over the teen, and he looked about nervously. _Hello?_ He asked mentally. _I don't want to ask, I don't want a response. _

He slunk forwards towards the door cattishly. When the door was in sight, he sprinted the final stretch and bounded down the flight of stairs. Pencils and fallen papers crunched beneath his boots; Kadaj could see upturned furniture in the wide open doorways. The teen took a right through small model buildings and towards a series of offices. Turning the corner, he ran to an abrupt end.  
"Shit!" Kadaj's hands slammed against the wall, knocking the air out of him. He stepped away and backtracked; the building becoming more of a labyrinth by the second.

He skidded around a corner, jutting out an arm to balance himself, and flew down the next set of stairs. The briefcase banged against his calves uncomfortably, occasionally slamming against the walls. He took another sharp turn and stumbled on the second landing. Kadaj slipped and rolled down the steps, a sharp pain pressing alternately on his chest and sides. At the bottom, he collapsed in a heap, groaning.

His whole body ached, undeniably bruised all over. He pulled himself up and sprinted to the end of the hallway, forcing himself to ease into a run. The lactic acid was building up in his legs. He swore under his breath. "I've got to get to the bottom, I've got to get…" he tore down the left wing and was jarred back, his hand catching on the corner. He pulled back and examined the plaque there, a white melamine with red text. Kadaj rolled his eyes, a sense of relief washing over him.

"Finally, they've got a fucking map. Sure as hell would have been a lot more helpful going the _other_ way." But his fingertips danced over the floor plan and tapped twice on the next set of stairs. This time, he wouldn't have to double back. Holding the image in his mind, he set off again, dashing now. Vincent had to have been found already. Just how long could the man wait? How long _would_ he wait? Kadaj shook himself. He trusted Vincent. He knew better. He skipped every other step and jumped onto the landing, crouching down from the impact. There was a rustling down the main hallway – which appeared to be deserted – and then an audible whisper.

"What was that?"

"Dunno. Be careful."

Kadaj inhaled sharply, covering his mouth, afraid the sudden sound would give him away. His keen eyes scanned the area, slowly picking out the muzzles of several guns. Panic washed over him, and he shakily stepped back, one foot at a time, until he reached the foot of the first stair. He had made it to the fifth step when the inevitable happened. The briefcase kissed the edge of the next step with a loud, metallic 'click!' and suddenly, the next room was alive with movement. Kadaj turned and ran, faster than before when he thought he was being watched, faster than he could recall in a long time. These men had guns, and they were willing to kill.

He grasped for the image of the map again, the details now fuzzy. Taking his chances, he veered right, taking a small series of twisted staircases. There were the whizzing sounds of bullets and the frantic yells of the men behind him. A whoosh of air startled him, and he barely had enough time to duck as the window above him shattered. Glass rained down on his head, and his feet crunched over it, wedging into his soles. Kadaj grimaced, but kept going – shards of glass had cut through to the bottoms of his feet, warm blood soaking his socks.

At last, he had reached the twin elevator doors. He punched the down button rapidly, shifting his weight from foot to foot impatiently. The sound of the men's voices were getting louder, closer. Kadaj turned to look over his shoulder, watching alertly for the tops of heads to appear. He didn't want to fight here. He was too sore and too outnumbered. It was true that he could have killed ten to fifteen people single handedly at one time, but he had had Shouba, and those people didn't have guns. Things had changed. Now he was the hunted.

The first head crested right as the great golden doors opened, and Kadaj leapt inside, closing the doors and jabbing the down arrow. A thick 'clunk!' sounded before him, the bullet striking the doors like a stick to a tin can. His head rung and the elevator seemed to move far too slow for his liking. The muffled shouts of the men faded away as he descended, but he knew it was only a matter of time before they alerted any others. There was still music playing inside, seeming drastically out of place given the current situation. The plucky melodies seemed to taunt Kadaj more than sooth him. He watched the floor numbers above the door light up one by one.

He fell forwards suddenly, and the music skipped. He frowned and made to move when the lights flickered out. The elevator stopped. Kadaj froze. "What now?" he whispered. "I'm a sitting duck, there has to be-" He squinted in the dark, feeling about for an escape. "The shaft." He breathed, recalling something he'd seen before on TV. Groping about, his fingers brushed the hand rail. Grasping it, he gingerly place one foot upon it, and then the other. Now in the corner, he shoved his hand upwards and the small door fell away. He hopped down to retrieve his briefcase, and then pulled himself out onto the roof of the elevator.

The elevator shaft was surprisingly brighter than he had expected; when he craned his neck upwards he could see sky through a dark piece of glass. He shifted his gaze to the walls around him, keeping a tight hold of the cables. There, slightly to the side and parallel to the elevator, was a ladder attached to the wall. Ignoring the hammering in his chest, Kadaj jumped and caught hold, allowing the handle of his briefcase roll down his arm. It weighed him down awkwardly, making the going difficult. The metal rungs were getting harder to grasp as his palms began to sweat, his body realizing the position he was in. Memories flashed before his eyes. Grasping onto a ledge, a box in one hand. Slipping, and free falling. Colliding into a metal structure. This time, however, Sephiroth wasn't here to take over for him if he fell. Kadaj squeezed his eyes shut and blocked the images from his mind.

Just below him was the opening to the next floor, the pair of doors standing partially ajar. He inched down until he was within safe distance of reaching, throwing the briefcase through first. Catlike eyes watched as the leather case spiraled over the linoleum, and then darted down into the black depths below. Acting before he could think any further, Kadaj made his second jump, landing roughly on his stomach. He gagged, wheezing from the impact, and scrambled to pull himself up. He regained his property and stood a moment trembling, his legs feeling like jelly.

"This floor is secure!" a shout echoed from the previous floor. Kadaj tensed, trying to gauge its direction.

"Clear! Proceed to next floor, Rodger." A fuzzier voice confirmed. So they had communicators. Due to that, they had been able to shut down power to the facility, downing the elevator. The teen wandered forward cautiously, now standing in the center of the short hall. A staircase leading up was to his left, a descending one flanking his right. There was a skittering of feet, and a man with a thick rifle paused on the landing, regarding Kadaj critically. The katana-wielder stepped back slowly, afraid to make any sudden movements. The gun's muzzle rose slowly to point to his chest, the butt resting on its owners shoulder as he sighted the weapon.

"Look, I don't want-" Kadaj began defensively. There was a loud rustling, and men rose from the lower level to trap him. Kadaj jerked back and a bullet whistled. There was an exclamation of pain as a man on the other side was struck down, and then mass movement. Kadaj didn't even see who was hit – he had dashed forward and jumped blindly through the window at the end of the hall. Glass rained down as he fell, tangling in his hair and clothing. His arms flailed to the sides, briefcase still locked in a death-like grasp. He tried to concentrate on his destination, but the world rushed by to fast, a mere oil canvas background.

He crashed into something hard that groaned under his sudden weight. His vision went black, and the popping of gunfire faded into a static buzz. A sudden sound brought him back to earth, and he rolled off the roof of the blue sedan onto the hood. Gravity and nausea kicked in, and he puked over the side of the vehicle. His body gave out temporarily, and he fell to the grass.

"Get up!" someone yelled. Kadaj glanced up to see a lone red figure in a mass of dark suits, weaving in and out of the congregation. He turned and fired off a round, reaching simultaneously for another clip and loading the cartridge smoothly as the other ran out.

"Vincent." Kadaj breathed gratefully, picking himself up. There was a crunching of dry earth and a Turk stood before him, aiming a long katana at his midsection. He was a wiry man with thick, black hair that was braided into cornrows on one side of his head and pushed forward into a reverse mullet on the other. He stared coldly at Kadaj through wire rimmed glasses.

"Name's Raven." Was all he said, lunging forward. "And yours?"

"What should it matter?" Kadaj asked, straightening up and wiping his mouth off with the back of his sleeve.

"I generally like to know the names of the people I kill." The other replied, an air of arrogance lacing his words.

"Too bad then." The teen smirked. "I'm not gonna be one of them." His foot connected with something, and he bent to retrieve the handgun, narrowly avoiding being nicked by the edge of Raven's blade. The Turks gray eyes drew to the weapon and leapt backwards as if burnt, holding his own weapon defensively. "You're pretty smart, huh?" Kadaj challenged, cocking the gun. "You know when to back down."

"I'm not retreating." The other hissed, swinging his blade to deflect the first bullet. "Self-preservation, not defeat." Kadaj shot faster, and the katana swung in cadence with the blasts. Up, side, down, right, left, up, diagonal. The sting of metal on air left wide arching patterns, aiding Kadaj's fire. He took the last three bullets and shot close to Raven's body, and then just further from it. Falling for the trap, Raven deflected, leaving his shoulder open just enough to hit. Kadaj knew he made his mark at the crunch of bone and agonized scream that followed.

He flipped the gun around to hold the hot muzzle. "Sorry." He muttered, rapping the side of Raven's skull as he passed, knocking him out. Ducking and swerving, Kadaj made his way over to Vincent. The man was still engaged with Rick and Blitz; every now and then he would turn to attack a different Turk. A lithe redhead with a shruiken seemed to be debilitating him the most, it seemed. She would dash forward and then retreat, each time driving him away from his destination. Kadaj watched her leap forward, curls bouncing, and slash downward at Vincent's front. Her weapon shredded his sleeve, and a trail of blood trickled from the sight.

A sharp blow to the side diverting Kadaj's attention. He turned to stare at another redhead, this one male and grinning cockily. The electric rod in his hand gave him the eerily similar appearance of Reno. The sole difference being that this Turk's eyes were a greenish hazel, rather than a light blue. "Come on, man." He teased. "You gonna fight or what?"

Kadaj crouched into a fighting stance, still clutching the barrel of the handgun. His opponent eyed it skeptically, and then shrugged, charging forward with a small cry. Recalling Raven from earlier, Kadaj resorted to his strategy, relying more on defense than anything. When the opportunity came, he struck out at the Turk's sides and knees, keeping his own body as far away as possible. A swift blow knocked him breathless; the area between his shoulder blades stinging mightily.

Kadaj backed away and sized up the other man thoughtfully. "You could have killed me." He hedged.

"Ya, probably." The other shrugged.

"You aren't here to kill us like the others are, are you?"

"Nah." The redhead smiled. "I'm just here for the fight." He positioned himself into a more stable stance.

"Hey… you know Reno?" Kadaj asked, curiosity brimming.

"Course I know Reno." The other replied, jumping forward. He swung out and clipped Kadaj's calf, smiling good-naturedly. "He trained me."

"Figures." The other replied darkly. The redhead smiled a Cheshire grin.

"After all, he is my brother."

"What?!" Kadaj paused mid-strike.

"Oops, left your stomach open." The other chided, lightly smacking Kadaj's abdomen. The teen recoiled and composed himself.

"I didn't know he had a brother."

"Obviously so." The Turk laughed. "My name's Ten. You're one of the ex-remnants, aren't you?" he asked, interesting alighting his eyes.

"Ya." The teen admitted. "Kadaj."

"Thought as much." Ten nodded. "You're pretty good. Too bad you've got a thing against Shin-ra – you'd make one hell of a Turk." He praised.

"Ya think?" Kadaj asked, striking again.

"Probably."

BOOM

The pair froze and looked towards the building. Scrap metal flew everywhere, the car now no more than a towering inferno. It sparked and choked out black smoke, ashes stinging the cold air. A wave of red rushed towards them. Kadaj barely had enough time to usher, "See ya." to Ten, and catch his smile, before Vincent hit him. A strong arm wrapped around his waist and the empty handgun clattered to the ground. South Ridge starting falling backwards, the earth narrowing out.

"Vincent!" Kadaj shrieked, suddenly aware of their surroundings.

"Hang on tight." The other replied, humor coating his dark tone. Kadaj inhaled sharply as the ground fell from view. Below them were crashing waves, then gray skies, and then the edge of a cliff. His insides knotted up, adrenaline and fear coursing through his system. Suddenly aware of how tired he felt, Kadaj passed out cold in Vincent's arms.


	18. Decadence

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* * *

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Jenova's Children Jenova's Children

**By Kawaii and Junsui**

**Author's Note: **Kawaii-chan here! I wrote two-chapters in one-- fourty one pages plus three that Junsui wrote in this chapter O.O I SLAVED OVER THIS, YOU MUST ENJOY IT!

**Chapter 18**

**Decadence**

Riku would rather be back on the islands cutting himself than subjecting himself to this torture.

Haruki yanked on a fistful of silver hair and the pale boy's head was jerked harshly to one side. He winced as she pulled them taut and for a split second, he feared that he was going to loose the large clump.

"I've always wanted girls soooo badly…" Haruki groaned, grabbing another piece of loose silver hair to continue the French braid, "Its great that you grew your hair out Riku! Now I can play with it whenever I want!"

"… my head feels greasy…" He mumbled to himself as Yuffie turned around from where she was watching an anime on TV with an obnoxiously large amount of sparkles and teenaged sailor girls.

"That would be the gross amount of product Haruki used!" The Wutianese girl explained with a mischievous grin. Haruki scoffed lightly, hazel eyes flicking to the tiny young woman on her couch.

"It's a perfectly healthy amount and I do think it softens his hair wonderfully—its like silk!" She added breathlessly, raising the unbraided strands to her cheek and rubbing against it with a sigh, "Oh, I remember how much Sitoshi _hated_ it when I played with his hair—your brother, too! Nearly lost three fingers doing that brat's hair in a twist, can you believe that? I'm just glad you're not like that, Riku."

'_Must… resist… urge… to… kill…_' Riku thought with a twitch of his eye, "Uh… yeah."

"You turned out to be such a beautiful boy!" Haruki gushed, absolutely fawning over the teen whose hair she was still braiding into a dangerously tight plait, "So androgynous!"

'_I don't know weather to take that as an insult or a compliment…_' The teen thought, exasperated, but kept his words to himself as Yuffie cackled and turned around on the sofa completely, sitting on her knees and resting her arms on the back.

"Yeah Ri-_ku_, you should cosplay sometime! Or better yet—_cross_play!" She grinned deviously as Haruki squealed in delight. Riku had no idea what crossplay meant, but in his minds eye, he conjured up an image of himself dressed in a frilly lolita dress whilst Yuffie and Haruki primped him with makeup.

But, thankfully, before that nightmare became a reality, Yuffie's cell phone began to blare a frighteningly cheerful tune from within her pocket—Riku recognized it from a show Kairi and Selphie had once watched obsessively (The Melancholy of Haruhi Something-or-another). Yuffie flipped open the device and pressed it to her ear, beaming all the while.

"Hi-hi! This is Yuffie!" The ninja answered brightly, she blinked several times, her eyes brightening, "_Vinnie_!? HI VINNIE! HOW—?" She paused, her face relaxing considerably, "Yea. Yea, he's right here, so's Haruki—we're doing fiiiiiiiine, we just went shopping today!" She paused to giggle happily, "I got a new sweatshirt and a new pair of boots and some cheesy poofs and a couple of phoenix down—." She stopped in mid-sentence, intent on listening, "Yeah? Okay...OOOH!" She perked up suddenly, eyes becoming the size of saucers before she flailed one arm wildly, grinning like an idiot, "OOH! OOH! VINNIE! We should go to Wutai! No, I'm not on crack!" She scowled to herself, but quickly regained her cheer, "Seriously, we should! Listen, Vinnie… LISTEN! Okay! So, we can meet you at that port and from there, we can go on a—_boat_…" Yuffie spat the word with as much distain as she could muster, "To Wutai, and there we can get a chance to stock up on a bunch of really nice supplies and maybe even a few mastered materia. It would be good to have a lot of supplies in case… well, ya know." She stopped to listen to him, scratching patterns into the couch before she smiled triumphantly, "Okies, Vinnie! We'll meet you at the dock later tonight—and we'll be sure to bring some potions for retard." It could only be assumed that 'retard' was Kadaj, still suffering from his arm injury, "Alrighy then, I loooooove yooooou... bye-bye!"

She snapped the phone closed and peered at Riku and Haruki, whom were still sitting on the living room floor staring up at the girl expectantly, "Hey Riku," She beamed, "We're going on an adventuuuuuuure."

* * *

The first sound Kadaj heard was water: swelling, crashing, hissing, and ebbing away before repeating once more. Swelling, crashing, hissing, and ebbing again and again. The second thing he heard was footsteps: heavy, metal footsteps upon stone.

There was a clicking noise and then the sound of fabric rustling. "Yuffie, this is Vincent." There was faint, distorted squealing from what could only be on the other line of a phone, "Fine. We're fine. Where's Riku?" He stopped to listen, releasing an exasperated sigh, "Yuffie. _Yuffie_. Listen. We're in a cave just off of the shore, about a twenty minute walk from South Ridge port. Do you think that you could meet us there later tonight or tomorrow morning?" Kadaj cracked open an eye to see Vincent jerk the phone away from his ear, frowning slightly, "Yuffie… are you on crack?" He raised his hand to his temple rubbing slightly, "_No_, Yuffie. We don't have… _fine_, I'm listening." He paused to hear her out, his claret eyes flashing as they darted to see Kadaj beginning to push himself off of the ground, "… that does sound reasonable. Would it be too much to ask of you to meet us at the dock tonight? I'd like to get going as soon as possible—also, when you come, could you bring some food and a few potions, Kadaj's arm still seems to be bothering him." He nodded, even though Yuffie could not see him from the other line, "I love you, too, Yuffie, goodbye."

He closed the phone and looked down at Kadaj, "How are you feeling?" He inquired; Kadaj rested his back against the wall of the wave, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath before he opened them once more to scour the cave.

"Like _shit_." He choked out, grabbing at his forehead, "I feel like I passed out and then someone put me on a twirl-and-hurl." Vincent smirked and laughed softly, turning his head to watch the ocean crash against the beach below them. "What the fuck happened anyway?"

"I had to escape off of a cliff. I used to my cloak to fly us here and I presume you passed out during the experience." Explained Vincent, reaching into the folds of his cloak and removing a small, silver packet, "Here." He tossed it to Kadaj, whom caught the parcel from midair with ease, despite his discombobulated condition. He raised an eyebrow, turning it over several times in his hands, "It's a power bar." Vincent explained, "Like the kind you get at gyms."

"O… kay?" Kadaj peeled it open and took a bite, staring at the inconspicuous bar. It didn't necessarily taste bad, but it didn't taste like anything he'd ever eaten, either. However, he found that he was strangely hungry and began to munch on it while Vincent glanced at the clock on his cell phone and then at the silent teen beside him.

"Are you alright? You're acting strangely calm." He asked, quirking an eyebrow at Kadaj, whom shrugged.

"I have no fucking clue, really." He took a bite out of his power bar and chewed thoughtfully, swallowing before continuing, "I guess I'm just still in a state of shock THAT WE JUMPED OFF A FUCKING CLIFF."

Yes, there was the true Kadaj. Vincent let out a sigh of relief he hadn't even been aware that he was holding and stood up, "If we want to meet Riku and Yuffie in time, we're going to have to start our walk now."

Kadaj agreed quietly and stood up with a light grunt, cradling his throbbing arm to his chest before he followed the red-clad gunman out of the cave, which was nested within a rocky foothill that dropped down into a small beach—lights glistened through a thin fog down the beach, marking the port. Kadaj followed Vincent down a steep, narrow path that had been haphazardly beaten into the mountain. The various empty bottles of booze and condom boxes gave Kadaj the impression that the cave was a popular spot for teenage romantic trysts. He smirked, recalling his teenage years in Nebelheim (however short-lived) and followed Vincent down to the beach.

The sand was an odd shade of blue-grey beneath the moonlight, and sea spay from the waves crashing against the jagged rocks mixed with fog made the fall air pleasantly wet, yet fairly crisp at the same time.Kadaj was content to follow Vincent in silence (save for the crinkling of his power bar's wrapper) recalling the last time his entire family had been to the beach.

The memories were vague, and included his parents holding his hands and swinging him above the waves and attempting to burry Riku in the sand, later having to justify his actions to his mother. The memory that stood out the most, however, was the one where it had been at night, much later than he had usually stayed up at the time, and they were sitting upon a large blanket underneath the moon, watching the waves roll up and down the shore, his father's strong arms around him. Haruki sat beside them, holding a slumbering Riku, smiling gently down at the toddler.

"It should only take about twenty minutes to reach the dock." Vincent said, jolting Kadaj out of his memories, "Thirty at most. Unless you'd like me to fly us?"

"Ugh, _fuck_ no." The faux-black-haired teen shook his head, clutching to his temple, "The world _just _stopped spinning. I swear to God I'll blow chunks."

"Fine then." Vincent replied, "I'm not to keen of the idea of getting vomit on my cloak, anyway." He smirked at Kadaj as he spat a usual "keh" and glanced back to the sea churning beside them.

* * *

'_**Screw**__ being back on the islands,_' Riku decided, holding onto what Sora had dubbed the 'oh, shit' bar above the window, '_I think I'd rather be __**dead**__ than this._'

Yuffie had made but one quick phone call, and a handsome WRO rental vehicle had pulled up to the house in less than fifteen minutes. A young man in a blue dress shirt and a pair of slacks had exited the vehicle and walked up to Yuffie with a polite bow, "Good evening Miss Kisaragi, and how is your vacation time going?"

"It's great!" She replied, bubbly as ever, before he handed her a set of keys.

"I hope this car is to your liking, Miss Kisaragi. I came as fast as I could when I heard you'd be in need of one— I'll have a friend pick me up later tomorrow morning, so you needn't worry about me." He explained with a polite smile, "Have a wonderful trip!"

Wonderful indeed. Yuffie had the driving skills of a highly-caffeinated student driver; she nearly had to stomp on the breaks when she hit a light, the car seemed to jerk around whenever she turned, and Riku got the vague feeling that the way her foot seemed to pump the gas up and down was making his head bob like a chicken's.

That, and Haruki had become a backseat driver, gasping and screaming whenever she thought that the car was in the slightest of danger.

"OH, YUFFIE!' Shrieked the woman, gripping onto her armrests in sheer horror, "Be careful! Don't hit that biker! WATCH OUT FOR THAT TRUCK! Oh my goodness, you nearly gave me a heart attack!"

Riku was slammed harshly against the door as Yuffie turned before they went into a sharp correction. The ninja beamed all the while, listening to a Wutianese candy-pop station on low to drown out Haruki's antics.

Whilst coming to the conclusion that he might in fact die in the process of getting to the docks, Haruki gasped loudly and pointed out the window, "Oh, look! It's a Quick Dragon drive-through! Take a right here Yuffie!"

"Okies!" Beamed the ninja, and proceeded to cut across two lanes of traffic, eliciting a chorus of jeering horns from the rest of the drivers and turned into the Quick Dragon parking lot, driving into a small alley behind the restaurant that acted as a drive through line. A small illuminated board displayed a plethora of Wutianese dishes decorated with silly-looking dragons, among other deformed characters.

"Oh, the teriyaki chicken bowl looks really good, I think I'll have that…" Haruki decided, "What about you, sweetheart?" She asked, glancing over her shoulder to face Riku.

"Uh… I've never been to a Quick Dragon. The only fast food places we have where I come from are Ricky D's and Metro Sandwiches." He explained, scratching at the back of his head.

"I'll have the orange chicken and fried rice… I should get Vinnie a bowl of hot and sour soup—he likes that." Yuffie decided, turning to face Haruki, "What does Kadaj like?"

"Eh, I dunno." The woman blinked, scratching her head thoughtfully, "I think he likes the walnut prawns, but I'm not too sure."

"That sounds good to me." Riku decided. He was very familiar with seafood, having grown up on an island, and hadn't had any for a long while, "I'll have that with white rice and a Coke."

"I'll get Kadachuu the same thing." Haruki decided happily, "Whatever you eat, I bet he'll eat it."

"Okay." Riku nodded and Yuffie drove up to the ordering box, rolling down her window.

"Hi, welcome to Quick Dragon, how may I help you?" An accented voice inquired from the box.

"Hi, I'd like an orange chicken meal with two servings of orange chicken and fried rice, with a root beer, and I'd also like a large bowl of hot and sour soup with an iced tea." Yuffie replied.

"And then?"

Riku paused and shot an odd look at the small box.

"A teriyaki chicken bowl with—I'm sorry Haru-chan, what did you want?" Yuffie asked.

"With a Sprite!" Haruki shouted into the box.

"Uh huh, and then?"

"And then two walnut prawns meals with white rice and two cokes."

"And then?"

"And that'll be it!" Yuffie beamed.

"Thank you. Total comes to…"

Riku sniggered to himself, relaxing into the seat. Haruki twisted in her seat to smile at him, "What's so funny, you?"

"Nothing, just a movie." Riku smirked as Yuffie pulled up to the window, beating a small tune onto the steering wheel whilst whispering the words under her breath.

There was a quick exchange of money and food moments later, and Yuffie was speeding down the roadways like a chipmunk on crack once more, while Haruki provided play-by-play 'things Yuffie could run into' from the passenger seat.

"The port's here, take a right!" The raven-haired woman directed as Yuffie reluctantly turned on her blinker and merged into the right lane, turning into a port where a medium-sized ship was preparing to leave for Wutai. Yuffie sped though the rows of parking spaces towards a set of familiar silhouettes below the yellow haze of a streetlamp. Throwing the car into park, she tossed open the door and ran into Vincent's arms, squealing like a twelve-year-old fangirl. Riku went around to the trunk of the car to remove their luggage whilst Vincent filled the group in on what was happening.

"We arranged to leave on tonight's departure. We should arrive in Wutai by mid-day tomorrow." He explained, "We'll stay the night and leave the next afternoon, alright?"

"Okay!" Yuffie replied as Vincent picked up her navy blue pack and slung it over his shoulder next to his black one. The two headed off towards the ship while Riku walked up to his elder brother, handing him his pack.

"So, what happened?" He asked as his brother poked at a small cut on his hand.

"I'm way too tired for story time." He grunted, "I'll tell you in the morning." His eyes his brother's hair, a smirk curling onto his pale lips, "Nice braid. Did Haruki get a hold of your hair?"

Riku growled and started, but calmed as he felt a set of warm arms wrap around his arm. Haruki placed her cheek against his upper arm, tears glittering in her hazel eyes, "Take care, okay?" She whispered softly, giving him a tight squeeze. Riku made a slight noise and then turned to embrace her; the woman smashed her face into his chest and began to bawl, her body trembling with the force of her tears.

"I'll be fine, Haruki, I promise." He said softly, lightly kissing the top of the woman's head, "It's been so wonderful meeting you, and I wish we would've had more time together."

Haruki nodded wildly, and let out a nerve-racking sob. Riku glanced up at his elder brother, whom was looking away, his eyes narrowed with just a hint of… envy?

But before Riku knew it, Haruki was storming over to Kadaj, tossing her arms around him. He stood there, feline eyes wide with shock before she pulled away and took him by the shoulders, shaking him firmly, "If you die, I'll _kill _you." She hissed threateningly. Kadaj nodded slowly before she pecked him on the cheek and then went back to Riku to do the same before looking from him to Kadaj and smiling fondly.

"My boys…" She whispered, wiping the tears away from the corners of her eyes, "I love you so."

"We love you, too, mom." Riku smiled whilst Kadaj mumbled: "Love you…" And then Haruki turned away to get back into the car, still wiping furiously at her eyes.

Riku and Kadaj then headed towards the boat in silence before Kadaj made a slight noise and the younger teen faced his brother, blinking in surprise, "Kadaj… are you… _crying_?"

"Shut up." Kadaj growled bitterly, using his palm to wipe away the tears, "Just shut the fuck up."

Riku frowned, concerned, and followed his brother until they met up with Vincent and Yuffie whom were standing before the ship's bridge. Yuffie had her arms folded across her chest and she was tapping her foot irately, "Come on, retards!" She snapped, "I want to get to sleep as soon as I can so I don't start tossin' cookies." The ninja promptly snatched Vincent's hand, turned on her heel, and began to march up the bridge, Riku and Kadaj followed, to where they were greeted by a smiling hostess dressed in a floral-print kimono, her dark hair drawn into a bun at the nape of her neck.

"Welcome aboard, My Lady," She bowed deeply to Yuffie, whom responded with a shallow bow just enough to be polite, and not curt, "Master Valentine." She bowed once more, Vincent replied with a polite nod, "And the friends of Her Grace." She smiled at Kadaj and Riku and bowed one final time. The exchanged glances, looked at Yuffie, and then at the hostess before bowing to her as well.

"Will you be joining the captain for dinner tonight? We're serving a decedent cut of tenderloin seasoned with Wutai's finest soy and teriyaki sauce, served with lightly fried agedashi tofu. I'm sure we can make last minute arrangements." The woman inquired happily. Yuffie shook her head and raised the bag of fast food.

"Nope! We got Quick Dragon!" She beamed, "But thanks for the offer! Maybe these three will go for breakfast. I'm sure I'll just be busy puking my brains out!"

"As My Lady is quite prone to seasickness." The woman nodded sadly. Riku and Kadaj stared at each other again. This scenario was becoming weirder by the second, "Would you like me to send some motion sickness medicine to your room?"

"Nah, its better just to ride it out!" Yuffie replied cheerfully, as always, "But thanks sooooo much! Bye-bye!"

With that, she drug Vincent along by his clawed arm towards the general direction of their cabins. Riku and Kadaj stared at each other strangely once more.

"She _did_ help save the world once. I guess the people really like her." Kadaj shrugged, "Dunno _why_, though." He added sourly.

"But didn't Vincent help?" Riku asked, now completely confused, "So he should be getting the star treatment, too, right?"

"Maybe it's just because it's her home country. They probably treat Vincent like a king wherever Vampires are cultivated." Kadaj explained with a smirk. Riku couldn't help but laugh at his brother's remark as they entered an elevator and Yuffie started to search for the correct button before Vincent reached out and pressed it for her, only to have the elevator descend one floor.

"Well that was kinda a waste…" Riku grumbled to himself as they sought out their cabin. The halls were strangely silent, and one could only assume that this was the 'off' season for the ship.

"How the hell did we get onto this thing so fast? The time I took a boat to Wutai, it was shit compared to this," Kadaj gestured towards one of the many fancy tapestries adorning the wall to prove his point, "And we still had to make reservations three months in advance!"

"Connections." Vincent answered in his usual stoic matter as he slipped a card-key into the cabin's knob. A tiny green light upon it blinked several times and he pushed it open to reveal a luxuriously-sized cabin with a goldenrod and lush red color scheme, hinted with undertones from the dark brown furniture. Two queen-sized beds sat comfortably next to each other, wrapped in golden sheets with red comforters folded neatly into rectangles at the foot of each bed.

"I get all the toiletries!" Yuffie cried, dashing away to loot the bathroom. Riku craned his head into the room after her, eyes widening in shock as he took in the master-sized bathroom made completely from marble that blushed faint gold with deep brown and black streaks running across it. Yuffie cackled in triumph, selfishly grasping a large armful of toiletries to her chest before dashing past the stunned teen, "Vinnie! They have sugar scrub and really, _really_ nice lotion!"

Riku turned on his heel to where Vincent was removing dinner from the Quick Dragon bag (which looked grossly out of place in the posh cabin) quietly regarding the chipper ninja, whom was waving a tiny bottle of lotion in his face.

Kadaj was sitting on the bed among his pack, where Riku dumped his pack as well, plopping down beside him unceremoniously, "You look ready to kill something." He commented, trying to repress a smirk.

"I lost _six months_ of allowance for a crappy cabin that smelt like Pine Sol that wasn't even the size of my _fucking bedroom_." Seethed the elder brother with a twitch of his eye, "This room has a _plasma TV_."

"Quit your wining and get to eating!" Yuffie demanded, shoving a plate of fast food, complete with chopsticks and soda, into each boy's hands, "I need to get to sleep super fast so I don't start barfing! Chop-chop!"

She quickly returned to her own meal set out upon the desk where Vincent was seated, unclasping the buckles of his heavy mantle.

Kadaj snorted and ruthlessly pierced one of his walnut prawns, glittering in white sauce, "I'm taking a shower after this." He tore the prawn in half with his teeth, "Bother me and you die."

Riku was silent as he watched his elder brother devour his meal like a rabid lynx, "… what the hell happened to you today?"

* * *

The streets were desolate and quiet, the only exception being the occasional clinking of glass. The sound peeled and rolled through the still smoking houses, echoing back to the two figures striding through the rubble. One was shorter than the other, shaggy black tresses falling about his face, which appeared slightly haggard and weary. A smooth hand brushed the hair from his eyes as he cast about, looking for something. His companion was considerably taller and thinner. He too wore a suit, although his looked more rumpled and unkept. An empty bottle hung from his hand, and as he swung it, the little glass marble rolled around inside.

"Reno, won't you just throw that damn thing away?" the first man snapped irately.

"Muh?" the redhead looked up, pulled out of his stream of conscious. "What was that?" Blue eyes looked down innocently.

"Oh please." Reeve growled, usually happy demeanor gone.

"No really, what?" Reno persisted.

"If you didn't have your heads in the clouds, we probably would've found the place by now! And through that bottle away. It's getting on my nerves."

"What's left of them." Reno said under his breath. "Naw, I'm collecting these babies." He grinned broadly, giving the Ramuné bottle an extra hard swing.

"Why?" Reeve stopped in his tracks and sent the redhead a skeptical look.

"Mainly to piss Rude off." The Turk laughed. "I still haven't forgiven him for painting my bedroom pink after our last argument." There was a brief silence.

"And collecting Ramuné bottles will achieve… what, exactly?" Reeve pondered aloud.

"He has OCD." Reno said, is if that explained everything. They walked forward for a while before Reno piqued up. "Uh, so… where were we going again?" he scratched the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Seventh Heaven." Reeve growled. "Were you drunk when we had that briefing? …_Again_?"

"Eh… heh… maybe?" Reno supplied. "Erm, where are you going?"

"To find a more functional functional drunk." The other replied dryly.

"Well, if you want to find the Seventh Heaven, it's this way." The redhead pointed.

"No, Reno. I'm pretty sure it's _this_ way." Reeve argued, heading in the opposite direction.

"No, really. It _is_ this way, I-"

"What's what way?" a third voice spoke up. The Turk spun on his heel violently, drawing out the electric rod.

"Cripes, Tifa! You're gonna give me a heart attack, yo!" Reno laughed shakily. "Thought you were an enemy or something."

"Not hardly." Tifa smiled tight-lipped.

"Miss Tifa!" Reeve beamed for the first time in several hours. He had taken more than he had bargained for when he agreed to letting Reno come along with him. "We've news for you!"

"You better come along with me then." She replied quietly, balancing a box on her hip.

"Guess you already heard, then." Reno observed, eyeing the box. "About the refugees, I mean."

"Yes, we have. This way." She struck out ahead of the redhead.

"HA!" the Turk stuck out his tongue at Reeve playfully. "Told ya it was this way, yo!" Within a minute the trio had arrived at the front of the small bar. "Whoa… what happened here?" the redhead stared wide eyed at the blown out windows and torn metal frame.

"Sephiroth happened." A grim voice called. Cloud stepped out from the doorway of the bar, taking the box from Tifa. He eyed the two visitors and beckoned them inside.

"S-Sephiroth?" Reno winced, eyes darting around worriedly. "He's not still _here_, is he?"

"You know, for a Turk, you're a bit of a wimp." Reeve commented dryly, sitting at the bar as Tifa passed him a water.

"Forgive me for not wanting to get skewered!" Reno jumped defensively. Cloud winced beside him.

"I can testify that it's not a fun experience." He laughed bitterly. "So, what brings you two here?"

"Well, it appears that you've become aware of the refugee movement to the Forgotten City." Reeve began. "Good to know that you are all preparing to leave. No telling what'll become of this place, now that most of the residents have up and left. Nothing good, I'll wager. But… there is talk of an underground group. This one in Sephiroth's favor."

Tifa shuddered. "You mean there are actually _people_ siding with… but why?" she wiped at an invisible spot on the counter. "You don't think he's using them, do you? I mean, you know. Like Yazoo and Loz and-"

"Yes?" the tallest 'brother' asked. "I heard my name."

"Sephiroth has followers. _Consensual_ followers." Reeve rephrased. Yazoo's eyes narrowed into slits.

"Are you implying-?!" his voice rose dangerously.

"Chillax, yo." Reno drawled from the corner. "We're just saying these guys are different than you and your 'brothers'. There's no telling what they're planning, but chances are they are ordinary civilians. So… any secret plans would be shot." He glanced pointedly at the barmaid. "Heard anything suspicious in here, before all this?" he asked, gesturing to the ruins.

"Nothing more than what you already know. Leaving has been on everyone's mind lately. There has been so much stirring up, it's not surprising." She replied, a troubled expression drawing her eyebrows together.

"Well whatever they are planning, you know it won't be any good. We think there will be an attack in the Forgotten City. So long as the people keep trusting each other and talking, this group is likely to know what's going on." Reeve sighed. "So Sephiroth will know where we are, every step of the way. If you weren't all so idolized!" he chastised half-heartedly. "I think that's the point, though." He added thoughtfully, stirring his ice cubes with a straw. "Promise finance to the poor, family to the homeless and social outcasts, power to the unappreciated. Sephiroth could cajole them into his fingertips, lulling them into a false sense of security. Easier to use them that way… place them among the people, learn whatever he wishes. If suspicion reaches the people, there will be a lack of communication. It hurts both parties, but ours more than Sephiroth's".

"What do you mean?" Yazoo frowned, taping a box shut with duct tape. He flipped his long hair over one shoulder and sat down against a pile of wrapped furniture. "If the people don't talk, then no one would be safe."

"Precisely." Reeve nodded, draining the remnants of water from his glass. "While Sephiroth would loose the contact of what is happening with the civilians, he would also achieve causing pandemonium and disorder in the refugee's society. More people would be subject to coercion, more information is likely to be leaked. It's a mess, no matter how you look at it." He groaned in defeat, letting his forehead sink to the cool countertop.

"What if you say to hell with the refugees?" Reno quipped, gesturing with his Ramuné bottle to Cloud and Tifa.

"Reno, what the hell is that?" Cloud asked, running over Tifa's startled squeak.

"Huh?" the redhead looked at the bottle. "Oh this?" he grinned devilishly. "Revenge."

"Last I checked, Sephiroth didn't have a fear of empty bottles." Yazoo said exasperatedly from his perch. "Or glass, for that matter."

"We can't just abandon those people." Tifa said resolutely, redirecting the conversation. "They'll need our help."

"But Sephi would know where you're at if you do." Reno pointed out.

"Catch 22." Cloud sighed. "But Tifa's right, we can't just abandon them."

"Just as well." Reeve sighed. "We were planning on sending Cait Sith to go collect Vincent and the others. I doubt it's safe for you all to be split up like this." He slid the glass over to Tifa. "We're tracking him by his cell phone. Conveniently he has one." He chuckled to himself. It was a humorless laugh.

"They can do that?" Tifa asked, shocked. "Track people by... oh shit." She bit her lip and looked to Cloud apprehensively.

"Reeve, do you think that anyone within the reformed Shin-ra company, or the WRO even, would be a traitor?"

"It's likely, isn't it?" Reeve shrugged. "Sephiroth himself came from Shin-ra. It's only natural that he'd have allies there."

"Then it's decided." Cloud nodded to himself.

"Decided?" Tifa frowned. "What's decided?"

"We'll all regroup in the Forgotten City." He turned to Reeve. "Be sure to tell Cait Sith that. We'll be long gone before they could ever catch up to us. Meet at the City." He turned back to the others. "We'll start over from there. New clothes, new numbers. My work phone and cell phone number were the same. New phones maybe, even. We need to be as inconspicuous as possible. New information that only we will know." He turned to Reeve and grinned in an uncharacteristically determined way. He looked younger, excited. He looked like Zack. "Looks like AVALANCHE is back."

* * *

Everyone slept peacefully that night, even with Yuffie's several trips to the bathroom to empty the contents of her stomach into the toilet from either sea sickness or morning sickness. Kadaj and Vincent were dead to the world until ten in the morning, getting an entire twelve hours of sleep, due to their little excursion into the Shin-Ra facility, which Yuffie insisted on hearing every little detail of while they went to get fresh air on the top deck.

"Are you feeling any better?" Vincent inquired, walking Yuffie over to the railing. She took a deep breath and raised a hand to massage her temple, smiling weakly at him.

"A little. The fresh air really helps. Can I sit down and maybe get some toast for breakfast?" Yuffie asked with an unusual timidness to her voice. Vincent gave her a chaste kiss before saying "Of course." And leading her over to a plastic chair next to a small table where she laid down her head into her folded arms and let out a miserable groan.

"It's nice to see the ocean again." Riku commented, brushing a strand of hair that had gone astray from his braid behind his ear, "It's really what I've become accustomed to…" He sheepishly reached behind his head to scratch at the back of his neck, "It actually kinda makes me miss home—"

He trailed off suddenly, catching a shocked look on Kadaj's face before he turned away sharply to stare out at the ever-nearing land mass upon the horizon. Riku frowned and leaned down onto the railing.

"Hey, what's up?" He asked, concerned. Kadaj suddenly turned towards him, eyes narrowed in anger, blazing emerald and cobalt.

"So you're just going to leave us?!" Kadaj shouted, jerking his face closer to Riku's; the younger boy flinched away and opened his mouth to shout in reply; however, he was interrupted by Kadaj before he could even start to say something, "I don't wanna hear it Riku! Because I know you're thinking about going back to _that place_," He spat, as if he was referring to a place of disgusting habit rather than Riku's previous home, "Even though _this_ is your home!" He threw out his arms to illustrate his point gesturing to the world around them. To Gaia. "This is where your _family_ is! I've—_we've_ spent so fucking long thinking you were _dead_; and Haruki had to go through not one, but _two_ sons—_and_ Dad!" He shouted. By this point, several of the employees were staring and Riku felt immensely embarrassed, glancing away from his brother sharply.

"I _know_ this is my home." He whispered bitterly before his eyes met with Kadaj's, "But so are The Islands. That's the life I know, Kadaj. I have friends there, too. I have… family," He winced, recalling the image of his foster mother, white-blonde hair falling over her tearstained eyes, "And it would be impossible to choose one over the other." Riku watched as Kadaj glanced away with a soft "Keh", his hand tightening around the ship's railing, "But it's not like I'm abandoning you." He continued, "I love this place—and you're right. I _do_ have friends here," He turned to smile at the sight of Vincent attempting to console a groggy Yuffie with some toast, "And I have family here, too…" He faced Kadaj, smiling softly, before his lips quirked into a smirk, "… however insane they might be."

Kadaj laughed, smirking as well, a sheet of fading black hair falling over one of his eyes, "Like they say: its all in the family."

Without warning, Vincent dashed over to the railing between them in a blur of red, garnet eyes narrowed at the ocean innocently lapping against the side of the boat, "Something's coming." He growled darkly, his hand automatically seeking out the gun resting in its holster. Kadaj slid flawlessly into a defensive pose, while Riku's fingers twitched in preparation of summoning his Keyblade.

Small bubbles began to break the surface of the water, growing by the second, until the bubbling water began to ripple so violently that Vincent tore out his gun and cocked it in one fluid motion and the Keyblade flashed into Riku's hand.

With a dramatic splash, water burst into the air, along with what seemed to be a giant pink blob tipped with black and white.

"LA-LI-HO!" A Scottish-accented voice trilled brightly, and a giant pink mog leapt onto the ship. A sopping wet Cait Sith leaped from its top and landed with a small front flip, shaking his hind paws out before turning his head to one side, lightly hitting the other side to allow a ridiculous amount of water, along with a tiny minnow, to fall from his ear, spilling over the deck, "Goodness gracious!" He cried, removing his gloves to wring the water out of them, "You leave for a beautiful Oriental cruise and don't invite your dear pal Cait Sith along with you?" He asked, placing his hands on his hips and leaning foreword.

Riku blinked and banished his Keyblade as Vincent twirled his gun back into its holster and Kadaj slid from his position with an annoyed grunt, "I thought you were heading back to help out with the others in Edge." Vincent said to the small feline, currently working on wringing the water out of his tiny red cape.

"New message about a quarter of the way there: in fact, I think there's someone who'd like to talk to you lot in a minute—but in the meantime, how've you been fairing?" Yuffie responded by springing over to the railing and beginning to heave into the ocean.

"… that about sums it up." Riku commented lightly as Kadaj raised an eyebrow, "So you _swam_ all the way here?"

"O'course! No problem for Molly-girl 'ere!" The robot turned around to pat the mog on its giant stomach as it bobbed up and down in midair, raising its fists triumphantly, "What with the modifications Reeve has made—speakin' of the devil himself!" The black and white feline went limp for a split second before standing up straight once more.

"Hello there gentlemen!" He greeted them pleasantly, "Miss Kisaragi as well, wherever she may be!" Reeve continued, obviously not having any video feedback to see that the ninja in question was currently hurling off of the side of the boat, "I tracked you from where Vincent's cell phone signal was heading, and I'm glad to see that you're already headed towards Wutai."

"Already?" Riku asked, folding his arms in confusion, "We were just headed there to get supplies—"

"Ah, but there's evidence of a 'leak in the system', if you will," Cait Sith automatically crouched slightly, one hand cupped around his mouth, ears pinned to his head, "There's already rumors of various people taking sides with Sephiroth, in order to save their own skin. I'll let my cohort continue, as he seems to be keen on talking to you, lest accidently stab me with his electric rod." Cait Sith shifted from foot to foot, his mouth moving as if he were mumbling incoherently, soft voices conversing on the other line as his controls were passed along to another.

"Hey there, yo!" The small cat saluted nonchalantly as voice changed completely, "The largest rumor circulating concerns a Mister 'Nai Ocha', whom just inherited Wutai's oldest and most prestigious tea house, not too far from the Pagoda of the Five Gods. Supposedly the family's been up to shady business since Wutai got reduced to a tourist trap, but no one ever went as far as to prove it, since it seemed to be a good income at the time. The rumor says that this Ocha guy's made some sort of a deal with Sephiroth himself, so you should go check it out as soon as you can, okay?"

There was another shift and Cait Sith regained Reeve's voice, "So there you have it!" He clapped is paws together and bowed slightly, "I assume this will not be a problem, as you're merely just doing a quick check on things."

Kadaj snorted, tossing his hair with a jerk of his head.

"And I do assume Vincent's interrogation skills will come in handy, right?" Reeve continued, his voice taking on a slightly dark undertone. Claret eyes flashed slightly at the cat and Reeve cleared his throat, obviously feeling the tension by the complete silence (save for the retching noises compliment of Yuffie dry-heaving off of the side of the boat), "And, as always, I sincerely thank you for the time you've taken out of your side-trip to help us out with this."

"Anytime." Riku offered, as Kadaj had suddenly gained an immense interest with his fingernails and Vincent went off to avoid brooding by rubbing circles on Yuffie's back.

The cat smiled and waved pleasantly before falling limp once more and snapping back into his bouncy posture, leaping around the pink mog, Molly, and shouting encouragingly to his comrades.

"Yahoo! La-li-ho! We're a'gonna get that man and put him behind bars! He's not gonna know what hit 'em!" Cait Sith cried enthusiastically, punching at the air with tiny fists, "No one messes with AVALANCHE and gets away with it!" He spread out his gloved paw, as if to hi-five Riku, whom merely walked by him to join Yuffie and Vincent.

The ninja was hung over the railing of the ship, body completely limp as she made a soft sort of gurgling noise, while Vincent held her from behind; more so to keep her from falling into the water than to be romantic. Riku leaned on the railing beside the incapacitated Yuffie and stared out into the sea, watching the ocean froth lightly in the vessel's wake.

"As I've told you, I was once a Turk, working for the Shin-Ra Electric Company. A bodyguard." A grim smirk curled on his lips, just barely visible from under the collar of his heavy mantle, "No… not a bodyguard… an assassin." Yuffie made a slight noise of protest, but he squeezed her shoulder gently and resumed, "I was trained to think and act like a weapon—no care or remorse for what I did or who I killed. At one time I was known as the best interrogator in the entire history of the Turks, however short it was at that time, and I do believe that record holds to this day." He turned to face Riku, eyes glowing dimly, even in the sunlight, "Cold and emotionless. Sometimes I'm still surprised I have a heart."

"Nuuuu…" Yuffie moaned, squirming beneath him, "Dumb Vinnie…"

Vincent smiled softly at his love and Riku turned his head away suddenly, feeling the familiar rush of heat that came to his face whenever we witnessed a 'moment' between the couple.

"Yuffie has a point you know." Riku mumbled to himself, raising his eyes from the dark ocean to the azure skies festooned with wispy nimbi, "People can change—and hell." He grinned sheepishly, "Even I think you're a good person."

"HA!" Yuffie shrieked triumphantly, gagging and retching several more times as Vincent's eyes widened at Riku's comment and he looked away sharply.

"Thank you, Riku." The raven-tressed man said softly, "But you do understand," He turned to face him with just a hind of mirth in his exotic garnet eyes, "That that works both ways, correct?"

Riku blinked several times before Vincent's statement sunk in and he smiled to himself, eyes drifting back to the strip of land betwixt the sea and the sky, "I know."

"My Lady?" A soft voice inquired; Riku and Vincent turned to see the same, small woman from the night before standing behind them with a pleasant smile on her face. Yuffie turned her head slowly, making a noise something akin to that of what a dying animal would make, the woman bowed apologetically, her cheeks darkening with blush, "Ah—we are about to arrive in Wutai, and I was instructed to inform you that the staff has readied all your belongings, so there will be no need to return to your room for them before you depart."

"Yaaaay…" Yuffie moaned happily, feebly waving her arms at the land mass before them, "Laaaand."

"Thank you." Vincent replied for her, bowing his head to the hostess, "We'll be down to the bridge in several moments."

"Is there anything you would like before you leave?" The hostess inquired, her dark eyes twitching from Vincent and Yuffie, to Riku, and back.

"No thank you." Replied the gunslinger coolly.

"Well, then what are we waitin' for?" Molly bounded over to the group, carrying a cheerful Cait Sith upon her head, "Let's get a'goin!"

"I have to side with the cat." Kadaj added in nonchalantly, walking up beside the oversized mog, "I'm getting kinda tired of watching her puke her guts out… though the silence is a nice change." He added as an afterthought, Yuffie raising a shaking middle finger to him before Vincent hoisted her into his arms and they started towards the middle deck.

"So what's Wutai like?" Riku asked Kadaj conversationally as they traveled down a flight of stairs. The elder Nonaka brother shrugged nonchalantly, folding his arms behind his head.

"Haven't been there in awhile—last time I went it was just a huge tourist trap. The area around it was pretty mountainous, and there were a lot of vendors selling cheap junk." A nostalgic, yet slightly perverse look came over his face and he grinned at his brother, "But they did have a lot of these cute little girls all dressed up in fancy kimonos—maiko I think they're called, apprentice Geisha or something. They did fan dances and acted all shy— which reminds me, they had these maid cafes."

"Maid cafes?" Riku asked, arching an eyebrow. Kadaj positively smirked, his eyes flashing.

"Yeah, little cafes which were worked by these waitresses dressed up in maid outfits with high-pitched voices, and they'd hit on you and pretend to be all shy and embarrassed." He laughed to himself, "Loz would get all confused when they hit on him… _God_ that was funny." Riku nearly sighed in relief, but then mentally slapped himself, reminding himself that he was never supposed to have found those notes in his brother's closet.

Kadaj rested on a stretch of wall near the door that opened to the bridge, "You know we're part Wutianese, right?"

"Really?" Riku started, blinking in surprise. Kadaj nodded.

"Yeah, Haruki's dad and dad's dad were both from Wutai. Haruki's mom was from Nebelheim and I think dad's mom was from Junon or something." He explained, "It explains the foreign names, though—and our middle names." Kadaj added with disgust, "Haruki spent the first fourteen years of her life in Wutai, so she wasn't used to names like those."

Riku glanced quickly at Kadaj, and then at the short-tressed girl, poorly attempting to regain her balance while Vincent supported her back. While the two of them were deathly pale compared to the girl with the sunkissed skin, there was obviously some racial resemblance between them, especially in the exotic eyes.

"Huh." He concluded softly as a ship worker came around to unbolt the hinges upon the heavy door the opened up to the bridge. Just as the small man was about to tug it open, Vincent glanced as Kadaj and Riku, a deadpan expression on his face.

"Brace yourselves."

Before either had a chance to ask what he meant, the door was opened and their ears were filled with the deafening roar of a crowd. Yuffie beamed to herself, and a bit of the color returned to her face as she walked out onto the bridge, waving cheerfully to the masses of people.

"How's it going guys?" She quipped loudly, as if she were walking into a party full of close friends, a six pack of beer tucked under her arm, rather than out into what seemed to be an entire country congregated into one tiny port. The crowd replied with a happy, roaring cheer.

Riku and Kadaj stared.

"I… I guess they really must like her." Riku concluded.

"Of course they adore her!" The hostess explained cheerfully as Cait Sith bounced down the bridge. Riku and Kadaj jumped, not used to the petite woman sneaking up behind them undetectably, "She is our reigning princess after all—and savior of the world, no less!"

"P-princess?!" The Nonaka brothers sputtered in astonishment, both swiveling their head to Vincent for answers. He raised an eyebrow, folding his arms over his chest.

"I thought you would've figured it out, with the amount of respect the crew showed her—and the fact that we took a yacht here." He explained before following Yuffie with a melodramatic swish of his tattered cape.

"That—" Kadaj looked back and forth between the yacht and the crowd adoring the hyperactive ninja, "A _yacht_?!"

Riku shook his head slowly before following the rest of their small party, nearly having to drag his elder brother along with him. Yuffie was standing in a small circular clearing of people, looking around at them cheerfully.

"What a welcome party!" She remarked, obviously surprised, clinging onto Vincent's arm.

"Its surprising that they all turned out to see a little punk." A snarky voice commented. Yuffie's eyes lit up instantly before she forced her face to become a convincible cold mask.

"Who're you calling a little punk?" She snapped in reply, wheeling around to face a young man clothed in light colored kimonos, jet black hair falling over his piercingly bright violet eyes. He smirked, and then his eyes widened in horror as she sprinted up to him, easily gathering him in his arms, as he was about a head shorter that her, "SHAKE AND BAAAAKE!" Squealed the ninja, rocking back and forth as she nearly strangled him with the force of her hug.

"WHA—LET GO OF ME YOU STUPID BIMBO!" Shouted Shake, attempting to pry the younger girl off, his eye twitching rapidly.

"No!" She cried cheerfully, just before Vincent peeled her off of the nearly-hyperventilating man, "Awe, Vinnie! You ruin _eve-ry-thing_!" She whined playfully, latching onto his arm.

"It's nice to see you again, Shake-Sama." Vincent greeted the bright-eyed young man, whom was busy smoothing the wrinkles out of his formal wear—or maybe just attempting to brush off the imaginary Yuffie-germs.

"Wish I could say the same." He grunted sourly, eyes narrowing at Yuffie, whom playfully poked her tongue out at him, "But whenever you come around, you just _happen_ to bring the bimbo with you."

Vincent blinked and cocked an eyebrow, "She is my fiancé, and your cousin, after all."

"Tch," Shake brushed off Vincent's comment and turned to study Riku and Kadaj, standing awkwardly before him, in his fine robes, Riku wearing a new generic sweatshirt and a pair of wrinkled jeans, and Kadaj in a fresh tee shirt proclaiming 'Fuck The System'. He sized them up, piercing eyes snapping over the entirety of their bodies before he caught sight of Riku's hair color and Kadaj's fading black tresses and snapped into a Cat Stance, hands raised before his chest, ready to strike, weight rested on his right leg, while his left was pushed up to the knee.

"Oh _chill out_, Shakey." Yuffie scoffed, breaking free from Vincent to swat her older, albeit shorter, cousin on the shoulder reprimandingly, "They're with us."

Shake's eyes narrowed slightly before he relaxed and glared at the boys in turn, "And what would their names be?"

"I'm Riku Tsu— Riku Nonaka." Riku quickly corrected himself, still used to referring to himself by the last name of his foster mother.

"Kadaj Nonaka." His brother offered sapphire and emerald glowing at Shake with disdain from behind a sheet of rapidly fading black. The two locked gazes for several moments before the smaller of the two slowly nodded.

"And I am Shake: second God of the Wutai Pagoda." He introduced himself; upon hearing the word 'God', Riku cocked an eyebrow, but said nothing as Shake reluctantly turned to address his cousin. Kadaj kept his eyes trained on Shake's back, flashing with something nearly unrecognizable before turning his head to gaze up at the carving of Da Chao high up in the mountains.

"Uh-huh. Enough with the dramatic introductions! Where's the old fart?" Yuffie demanded, tapping one foot impatiently. Shake scoffed loudly and placed his hands on his hips firmly.

"I can see you haven't matured a bit." He growled, glaring daggers at the girl, whom stuck out her left hand, waving it around in his face so that the sun played off of her engagement ring in elegant little sparkles.

"Do you see this Shake and Bake? Huh-huh? Seeeee?" Yuffie egged him on, her mouth pulled into a shit-eating grin, "What about you? No pretty lady think you're mature enough to slip a band on her finger? Oh— I'm sorry, the pretty _boys_ must be the ones trying to get rings on your finger."

"YOU DAFT GIRL! I SHOULD—"

"Oooh, you said a big word, I'm _sooo _scared—"

"I get the feeling they always fight like this." Riku mumbled to Vincent as the two cousins continued to quarrel with one another, their voices reaching shrill pitches previously unreachable by the human voice box as they attempted to match the other's volume.

"You've no idea…" Vincent mumbled, reaching up to warm his temple with his thumb and forefinger as the crowd around them began to disperse.

"—newsflash Shaky,_ I'm _gonna be a mom! So I WIN! HA!" Yuffie continued, pointing triumphantly at the tiny God, whom began to sputter, violet eyes twitching from her to Vincent to back.

"Y-you—?!" Shake stuttered, pointing at the ninja and then at Vincent, whom nodded calmly. He proceeded to throw his arms up in the air, shaking his head in disbelief, "Leviathan help us all."

* * *

As it turned out, Yuffie was more insane than Haruki when it came to cats.

"KITTEHS!" She cheered happily, throwing open the door to what appeared to be an abandoned studio flat, or possibly even a large, decaying shed. The smell of litter and cat food that poured out of the building was so offensively strong to Riku's keen sense of smell that he shied away from it, covering his nose. He looked to check his brother's reaction, which was that of mixed horror and euphoria.

At least fifteen cats were scattered about the little, heated room, curled up on threadbare armchairs or nestled up in surprisingly clean cat apartments. Mewling happily, they gravitated towards their human pet, purring and keening against her outstretched hands happily.

"Awe, have my babies missed me?" Yuffie cooed, scratching them behind the ears and under their chins, "Have my widdle biddles poo kittes missed their mommy?"

Vincent's eye visibly twitched and Riku surprised a smirk, knowing that if Yuffie had been any other person, he'd have threatened to shoot her if she ever talked to their children in that way.

"They've been taking good care of them." Yuffie smiled pleasantly, slapping Kadaj's hand as he bent over to scoop up a tuxedo kitten with large, innocent green eyes. He grabbed his hand, offended, and glared at the ninja before picking up the kitten, regardless, and holding it to his chest, "That's a good sign that I have at least SOME respect around this dump!"

"Yuffie… I'm tempted to ask… _where the fuck_ did you get all these cats?" Riku asked, stunned as a mother cat squeezed in through a cat door, followed by a litter of eight kittens. Kadaj made a slight noise and rushed over to them, kneeling down to set down the larger kitten and taking to stroking the preening kittens.

"I didn't get them, they came to me!" She beamed mysteriously before skipping out of the cat's house, towards a slightly larger building. The three men followed closely behind, Kadaj bringing a Russian Blue kitten with him. Yuffie pushed open the thin door and sighed pleasantly, "Home sweet home!"

The room itself was about the size of Merlin's house back in Hollow Bastion, accented with simple Asian decorations, complete with an elegant screen that separated the sitting area from the sleeping area.

"Blek, it's so dusty in here!" Yuffie wrinkled her nose as she ran a fingertip over the windowsill and it returned grey with dust, "Goddammit, we're gonna have to sleep in the stupid mansion tonight."

"Stupid mansion?" Kadaj started, turning to the ninja in disbelief.

"Its only stupid 'cause my _Dad_ is in there and I'm gonna have to _talk_ to him and stuff." Yuffie groaned, starting out of her house, gesturing the others to follow, "I bet that's where they had the luggage taken to anyway… oh wellllll," She singsonged, "I guess it's inevitable."

"Yuffie," Vincent began, his eyes darting towards the small ninja as he slid the door to her small home closed. "Shouldn't we be making reservations for the tea house?"

Yuffie stopped in mid-frolic, blinking in realization, "Oh yeah... eh, who cares! I'm Princess of this whole place!" She struck a 'V for victory' pose before continuing up the cobblestone path that lead to the lush gardens surrounding the Kisaragi manor, "We can call after my dad yells at me for being a slut or something."

Vincent sighed, but continued to trail along after Yuffie, whom began to trill a cheerful tune in Wutianese; spinning in small circles underneath the scarlet and bronze fall leaves fluttering down from the ashen limbs of the maple tress lining the small path.

"Yuffie grew up _here_?" Riku asked in disbelief as the towering mansion came into view. It reminded him of one of the many pictures he'd seen of feudal-era oriental palaces he'd seen in his textbooks; the main building was six stories high, constructed of light wood and stone painted with vibrant red, with light grey curved roofs accented with intricate golden carvings. Upon each point of the uppermost roof rested a grey carving of a zodiac animal—the rat, the snake, the horse, and the boar, watching the grounds with their keen stone eyes as they had for hundreds of years. Smaller buildings spread out over the grounds, diplomats dressed in deep fall colors rushing between them.

"Hard to believe, I know." Vincent said quietly, scouring the grounds for danger with an assassin's eye before falling into a comfortable state of relaxation, "But Yuffie was more or less raised by her own standards. Which is why she turned out so…"

"Un-princessy?" Kadaj suggested snidely, watching the ninja hop over to a pile of leaves, squealing like a sugar-high child.

"I was going to say something along the lines of 'average', but I suppose that works, too." He made an exasperated noise and swiftly crossed over to where Yuffie was tossing the leaf litter into the air, laughing as it drifted down onto her.

"Christ." Kadaj grumbled to himself, "I don't wanna be here when _she_ takes over, that's for sure."

"Its like Tifa told me once:" Riku began with a smirk, "If it wasn't for Vincent, Yuffie probably would've run into a pole and killed herself by now. Maybe that's what it's going to be like when it comes to running a country."

Kadaj snorted and rolled his neck to one side, wincing as it cracked several times.

"You shouldn't do that. It isn't good for you."

Both teens started, Riku actually shouting as he spun to face a woman several inches smaller than Kadaj, dressed in a small, high-collared pink robe fringed in violet. Underneath it was a pair of silk hakama secured at her ankles, and her tiny feet were covered in black slippers; the woman's eyes were an opaque blue violet and her cherry-red lips were brushed onto her face in an eternal pout. A tiny, brass hair ornament jingled as she trotted over to Yuffie and Vincent, not even taking the time to face the two boys.

"I'm starting to get the feeling that _everyone_ here has the ability to sneak up on you…" Riku muttered suspiciously, his eyes narrowing at the petite woman.

"Yuffie." She spoke softly, and the princess turned from where Vincent was busy brushing leaf litter from her hair. Yuffie's chocolate colored eyes instantly lit up upon seeing the older woman and she rushed over, managing a quick bow as she came to stop before the woman with the painted face.

"Hi Aunt Chekhov." Yuffie smiled pleasantly, a bit calmer than Riku had ever imagined her being. It was apparent that Yuffie held some sort of respect for the woman. "It's been awhile… hey, why aren't you in the pagoda?"

Chekhov cocked her head to one side, "Is it impossible for a woman to get some fresh air? Come now, Yuffie. You mustn't expect me to stay couped up in that tower all day long." Her pouted lips quirked into a smile and she turned to Vincent, lowering herself into a bow. "It is good to see you again as well, Vincent."

"As it is to see you." Vincent replied, bowing to Chekhov politely before glancing at Kadaj and Riku over her head. "I see you've met our traveling acquaintances."

"Yes, but I did not have the pleasure of formally learning their names." Chekhov explained turning to the two teens and bowing a third time. Kadaj and Riku awkwardly lowered their upper halves before walking over to the small group congregated below the maple tree.

"I'm Riku Nonaka." Riku explained, "It's nice to meet you, Miss… and, uh, this is my brother—"

"Kadaj Nonaka." He said quietly, Riku turned at his brother's odd tone of voice to find him staring incredulously at the woman before them.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Yukio and Kadaj Nonaka." Chekhov said quietly, shooting chills up and down Riku's spine. Kadaj made a slight noise and Riku felt his eyes widen, "My name is Chekhov. I am the third God of the Wutai Pagoda."

'_How did she know—?!_' Riku shook himself and attempted to act as if nothing had happened before Chekhov turned back to Yuffie and Vincent.

"The Master would like to see you know, Yuffie. He's anxious to find if the news that Shake brought him was true or not." Chekhov explained calmly, slowly blinking her eyes.

"Oh, so I see what's going on with all the formalities." Yuffie grumbled, folding her arms childishly across her chest, "Shake snitched to Dad, so now you have to watch me to make sure I go see him instead of running off with Vincent and my unborn bastard lovechild. _Thanks_, Aunt Chekhov."

The woman's painted mask faltered for a mere moment between amusement and exasperation before she glanced emotionlessly around at the group at turned on her heel, "If that is the way you see it, then. Come, Yuffie. Lord Godo is expecting you."

Yuffie heaved an exasperated sigh and stormed towards the entrance of the mansion, dragging Vincent along with her. Riku and Kadaj started after them, but stopped as soon as Chekhov threw an arm into his path, "This is family business." She explained, turning to face them, "My son Shake will be here shortly to escort you around the city. It shall be easy for you three to find something to occupy yourselves with." With a curt bow, she turned on her heel and followed after the future rulers of Wutai.

"What a bitch." Kadaj growled as soon as he was sure Chekhov was out of earshot, "How the fuck did she know your name?! Fuckin' stalker…"

"I don't know, and I'm not too keen on finding out." Riku shivered, shaking himself visibly, "She barely even looked at us, and when she did…"

"That's mother's power." Shake drawled as he sauntered over to the two, they leapt in surprise yet again, still unaccustomed to being approached from behind. Shake appeared to have changed into a more casual outfit of a men's dress shirt over a pair of black slacks, over all this was a thin leather coat that brushed his hips. "She takes from you without you even seeing it."

"Doesn't surprise me." Riku commented lightly as Kadaj quirked an eyebrow at Shake's attire.

"What are you looking at?" Shake demanded, ignoring Riku's comment completely as he glared daggers at Kadaj.

"Nothing. I shouldn't've been surprised that a pretty boy like you would wear something like that." He replied in a smirk, folding his arms over his chest. Riku wasn't sure if 'pretty boy' had been an insult or a complement, but by the way Shake was reacting, he supposed it had been taken as both.

"Wh-why you—!" Shake sputtered, squeezing his hand into a fist and raising it dangerously as Kadaj glanced around nonchalantly, finding it the best time to change the subject.

"What do you have to do around here anyway?" He asked, before his eyes widened in sudden realization, "Hey… you know what… we should find us some bitches!"

Shake ceased swearing to himself and Riku jerked his head backwards, making a face at his elder brother, "Wha…?" They gaped in unison at the smirking katana wielder.

"Yeah! Hey, kid!" Kadaj turned to Shake suddenly, causing him to jump, and then compose himself angrily.

"That's _Lord Shake_ to—"

"Do you still have that Maid Café? You know the one in the shopping district next to the arcade?" He continued excitedly, a genuinely hyper look on his face. Shake starred and blinked in confusion several times.

"Uh… yes, but—!" He was cut off by Kadaj once more.

"Perfect!" Kadaj grinned deviously and looped one arm around Riku's, seizing Shake around the wrist, eliciting an indignant squawk, fairly reminiscent of one of Yuffie's, before dragging them away.


	19. Clandestine

**Jenova's Children Jenova's Children**

**By Kawaii and Junsui**

**Author's Note:** Kawaii-chan here! This has, by far, been my favorite chapter to write! It was so amazingly fun to do! This puppy is chuck-full of fanservice, homage to the crossdressing scene in Final Fantasy VII, and blood! YAY BLOOD! Look out for mild boylove!

**Chapter 19**

**Clandestine**

"I know it was around here somewhere…" Kadaj muttered, still dragging the two other young men along with him. Riku had given up resisting within the first minute, knowing that his brother was on a mission and he was willing to _tear someone's arm off _if he didn't get his way.

"Tch…gnnn… LET GO OF ME!" Shake howled, feebly attempting to pull his wrist free of Kadaj's iron death grip. He shook his arm violently, but to no avail. "LET GO OF ME, I SAID! FOR DA CHAO'S FUCKING SAKE, YOU PIECE OF SHIT—!"

A woman walking past them covered her small daughter's ears and urged the girl along nervously. Riku stared after her apologetically, sighing in his state of defeat.

"YES! Fuckin' _score_!" Kadaj cheered, pumping one fist into the air in excitement, releasing his younger brother in the process. On the corner of the street was a small café designed with large, white double doors; light spilled into the restaurant though the clear panes of glass, allowing a view of many of the light wood tables with plush armchairs set around them. Upon the top of the building was a large sign depicting an adorable deformed character with cat ears upon its head, blushing nervously at the street below. Kadaj smiled and nearly charged through the door, smirking around at the unchanged scenery.

"Welcome home Master." A breathy voice greeted and three sets of eyes landed upon a small figure in complete and utter shock. A tiny, androgynous boy dressed in a pair of shorts that hung limply around his frail legs and a white dress shirt complete with frills. Delicately styled hair with pale golden streaks in it fell over his large brown eyes, sparkling with such innocence that it nearly hurt to look upon them, "Shall I seat you and your friends?"

Kadaj grabbed Shake by the shoulder and wheeled him around, "I thought you said this was a Maid Café." He growled through gritted teeth.

"It _was_." Shake muttered in reply, "Until the boy's love franchise took over and they changed it to a _Butler_ Café."

"Is there something the matter, Master?" The boy inquired, looking genuinely concerned. Kadaj and Shake made a simultaneous "_urk_" noise and jerked foreword nervously. Riku nearly turned around and walked out of the place if it wasn't for the next boy that casually sauntered over to the group.

"Yet another band of young men seeking pretty maids and finding you instead? Tsk, tsk Gale, leading such fine young men on to believe that you're a girl!" The new young man ran his hand along the younger boy's cheek, coming to a casual stop before Kadaj, Riku, and Shake. "I have to apologize for him. Please, stay for a cup of tea, complements of our café. My name is Hearth, and may I have the pleasure of learning the name of this handsome young fellow here?"

To Riku's horror, Hearth took several elegant strides towards him and cupped his cheek in his hand. Riku's breath instantly hitched as Hearth's deep red eyes met his and a smirk curled onto the elder boy's lips. When up close, Riku realized how (for lack of better words) _pretty_ the taller boy was. Deep auburn hair delicately streaked with red fell over his sunkissed skin and exotically deep eyes—not to mention his attire of a traditional tailcoat with a silver vest underneath, complete with white, silk gloves.

"Um… it's Riku." He glanced away from Hearth, feeling his cheeks burn. The smiling butler gently removed his hand, sensing how uncomfortable he was making the other boy.

"You don't see a boy of your coloring every day. If you're not a tourist, then you should definitely put an application—" Hearth paused in mid-sentence, wide eyes falling on Shake, whom was glancing away, his jaw clenched firmly. "Lord Shake." The devious smile returned to the butler's lips as he descended to one knee, "It's been quite awhile. I didn't recognize you in your civilian attire."

Kadaj suddenly began to glance from Hearth to Shake, raising an eyebrow, "You know each other?"

"We've met." Shake said stiffly, violet eyes becoming hard amethysts.

It was Hearth's turn to stare, his dark eyes flicking from Shake to Kadaj before he smiled softly, turning on his heel. He held out a single hand to gesture towards their table, "You'll find that we're rather empty today. Fall is our off season, you see. Business really picks up around Christmas, however." He explained, walking over to a set of thick double doors carved with elegant spirals and floral patterns. "This is our private party room. Yes, such extravagance is called for when it comes to important guests."

The room beyond the doors was roughly the size of a dining room, finished with redwood and deep red accents. A small coffee table complete with an extravagant Victorian tea set was positioned before a crackling fire; three plush, cranberry-colored armchairs stood around it, each topped with a lacy doily. The walls were a soft cranberry color as well, a strip of carefully designed wooden paneling positioned in their middle. The walls were decorated with elegant Rococo paintings: one depicting an elegant woman upon a swing; while another showed a young woman in shades of oranges and reds, her head tipped downwards towards a book; the final rested above a fire place and was a landscape of a mother playing with her children around a small stone wall. Somewhere in the room, speakers played a piano rendition of Mozart's_ Rondo Alla Truca_.

Riku would be _damned_ if this room hadn't been designed by a woman.

He awkwardly plopped down into the rightmost seat and suddenly felt very uncomfortable in his own skin. Shake chose the middle seat, sitting down with such dignified grace and ease that it made him appear as if he was made for this place. Kadaj nearly threw himself into the last seat, casually resting his back against one of the armrests and flinging his legs over the other, cradling his injured arm to his chest as he starred suspiciously at Shake.

Riku jumped as soon as he felt his foot being squeezed, '_Okay, yeah. _Everyone_ in Wutai is a fucking ninja…_' He decided, looking down at Hearth, whom was kneeling before him, hands wrapped around one of Riku's dirty tennis shoes.

"Allow me, Master Riku." He said huskily, slowly removing the shoe. Riku nearly died. He pinched his eyes shut, gripping the arm rests with all of his might, willing the furious rouge upon his cheeks to disappear. Hearth took his time, sliding the shoe off with practiced ease, making sure to run his long fingers down the length of the sole of his foot. Hearth repeated the process and smiled mysteriously at Riku as he fell back into his seat as if every bone in his body had suddenly disappeared.

Riku glanced up to see Kadaj smiling wickedly at him as Gale removed his own shoes and Hearth went to tend to Shake.

'_Say a word and you _DIE_._' Riku mouthed to his brother, whom shrugged and wiggled into a more comfortable position.

"So," Heath began conversationally. "What would all of you fine young men like for lunch today?"

"Depends, what do you have?" Riku asked, cradling his hands in his lap and twiddling his thumbs nervously. Hearth smiled warmly at him and extravagantly gestured towards Gale, whom bowed slightly in reorganization.

"Anything, you wish, Master. Our only desire is to serve you." Gale nearly whispered. He drew a timid hand to his mouth before a joyous expression crossed his face. "Ah! I have a fun idea! I can surprise you! I'll make all of my favorites for you!"

"Uh…" Riku began uncertainly as the boy beamed around at them.

"That sounds excellent, Gale." Hearth beamed, crossing the room to set a gentle hand on Gale's shoulder. "Why don't you go prepare some lunch and I'll entertain our guests."

Riku twitched. If Hearth started stripping, someone was going to _die_.

Hearth lowered himself to the floor, carefully removing his silk gloves and setting them down beside the tea set before lifting it up from the table and turning to his guests, "Now what kind of tea do you all enjoy?"

"I'm partial to green myself." Shake said boldly, albeit coldly.

"Normal tea, whatever." Kadaj shrugged. Hearth turned to Riku.

"Uh, raspberry." He mumbled, recalling the fruity teas Kairi had served him back on the Islands not too long ago. The butler nodded pleasantly and swept out of the room, leaving its occupants in a painfully awkward silence, save for the end of the cheery song played over the speakers.

"So…" Riku began after about forty seconds of silence, "Kadaj, why were you freaking out when you saw Chekhov? Besides for the brain ninja thing?"

"Oh, yeah. That." Kadaj threw his legs over the side of the chair, hunching over them, "Remember how I told you I went on a class trip here when I was younger? Well, I remember they let a couple of kids from martial arts club see a battle in the Wutai pagoda." He leaned back in his chair, shaking his head slowly. "It was _amazing_. Better than anything I'd ever seen, on TV or in real life. This big, burly guy lumbered up to her, looking like he was going to crush her… and then her eyes just… _flashed_." He glanced over to Riku, his own eyes wide with disbelief. "It was _insane_— she barely flinched and all of the sudden, there was this… thing in her place. It's kinda hard to describe, I barely got to see it. But it was really thin and small with big-ass teeth and claws—and before I could even blink, she latched onto him, just ripping the poor fucker to _shreds_, and even after he lost, she started making comments on his childhood. I seriously thought he was going to start crying."

"Mom particularly dislikes men whom think she's weak because she's a woman." Shake informed the two, rolling his head side to side. "Even _I_ haven't been able to beat her, which is why I'm on the floor below her in the pagoda. To this day I'm still shocked that Yuffie managed to beat everyone _including _Lord Godo."

"Yuffie's actually pretty smart when it comes to battling." Riku told Shake, "She gave me really good advice when I was training with Cloud awhile back and I was even able to tire him out."

"Bimbo gets that from her parents... unfortunately." Shake added as a bitter afterthought as Hearth came back into the room bearing three cups of tea on the delicate little platter.

"Peppermint for the close companion of my Lord Shake," He smirked, handing the cup to Kadaj, whom raised an eyebrow and snatched it away. "Green tea for Shake-Sama himself," Shake accepted the cup with a polite nod of his head, though he was giving off the distinct vibe that he wanted to smash it over Hearth's head. "And Raspberry for Master Riku." Hearth made extra sure to brush his hands against Riku's as the younger teen accepted the cup.

"Thanks." Riku mumbled, raising the teacup to his lips. To his surprise, the tea was pleasantly fruity, with the perfect amount of sweet. "This is really good." He commented, Hearth turned to him and smiled.

"Yes, I like to take my time preparing each individual cup. I know the exact amount of sugar to make any kind of tea taste _perfect_." Hearth explained, "What good would it be coming all the way here for a mediocre cup of tea if I didn't put such love into each cup? I'm glad you enjoy it. Pick a card."

"What?" Riku glanced up from the frilly floral patterns on the cup to see Hearth holding out a small fan of playing cards. He slowly reached out to take one of the cards. The Jack of Hearts.

"Put it back into the deck." Hearth commanded, "And don't show it to me. Feel free to shuffle it however you want. I'll even turn my back."

Riku quirked an eyebrow as Hearth turned his back to him and stared down at the deck. He quietly cut it in two and placed the card in the very middle before proceeding to shuffle the deck thoroughly, even checking to see if it was a normal deck, which it was.

"I'm done." He told the auburn-tressed teen, whom turned back around and accepted the deck from him, fanning them out in his hand once more, "Could this be your card?" He inquired, holding out the ace. Riku shook his head 'no'. Hearth furrowed his brow and plucked out another card, the Queen of Spades, "This?"

"No." Riku said again. Hearth frowned.

"Well, if it's not in the deck…" He mumbled, reaching into his pocket and withdrew the Jack of Hearts from his pocket, "Then this must be your card."

"Impressive." Riku commented, raising an eyebrow. Shake snorted and Kadaj shrugged nonchalantly. "Come now, was that not enough?" Hearth smiled mysteriously. "Most of our customers do enjoy that trick…"

"Most of your customers are gullible schoolgirls." Shake growled, slumping into his seat like a pouting child. Hearth completely ignored him, still smiling as pleasantly as ever.

"I do believe a bit more drastic magic is called for." Hearth raised a hand, holding a single card between his pointer and forefinger before flicking his wrist and sending the card spinning around his head. It calmly returned to his hand where it hovered mysteriously and Hearth ran his long fingers underneath, around and above the thin sliver.

"Tch." Shake jerked his head away, folding his arms over his chest. "Cheap tricks."

"Really now?" A corner of Hearth's mouth twitched upwards as the card hovered between his hands. He pressed them together and opened them to reveal a small origami crane, fluttering its wings restlessly within his palm. It took flight, soaring over Riku's head, the tips of its wings skimming the top of his tea before it returned to perch on Hearth's shoulder and flipped back into a card, sliding effortlessly in-between his fingers.

Before any of the three had a chance to comment, the door squeaked open and Gale rolled a small cart of food into the room, smiling cheerfully. "I really hope Hearth did a good job entertaining you all!" Gale quipped, "Aren't his card tricks amazing?"

"I really have no idea how he does it." Riku said softly, still in a state of shock. He glanced over to gage Shake and Kadaj's reactions. Shake seemed to be radiating annoyance, a scowl more than evident on his face, while Kadaj seemed more interested in the food.

"Really, no one does." Gale smiled, placing three porcelain bowls of soup on the coffee table before them. "Someday I wanna be a great magician like Hearth!" He turned his brown eyes on the elder boy, staring up at him like a god-like idol. Hearth's chest puffed out in arrogance while Shake made a noise.

Kadaj wasted no time snatching the soup off of the table, pressing the side of the bowl up to his lips in the traditional way of drinking such soups in Wutai, "Geez, I haven't had miso this good in… Christ, I would've had to have been fourteen…"

"Thank you!" Gale smiled, pulling his arms behind his back, a timid little blush dusting his cheeks, "I made it all by myself! I'm so glad you enjoy it, Master."  
Riku gathered up his own soup and began to drink as Heath helped Gale unload a series of fancy foods onto the coffee table: a small platter of pinwheel sandwiches, square chunks of agedashi tofu marinating in a shallow bowl of broth, tiny cakes and brownies decorated with intricate frosting and sprinkles… all the kinds of food that would make a teenaged girl squeal in excitement. However, it would make a teenaged boy such as Riku pluck it up, say "Oh… neat." and proceed to take a bite out of it.

"I'll leave some biscuits and jam for you, too." Gale said, setting down a small basket covered in a frilly cloth.

"Well, we'll let you relax for awhile," Hearth said conversationally, wrapping an arm around Gale's shoulders and directing him towards the door, "If there's anything you need, please," His eyes met Riku's and his voce dropped to a husky octave. "Don't hesitate to ask."

With that, the auburn-tressed butler ushered Gale out of the doors, closing them firmly behind him. Riku noticed that a new, cheery song had started up from the unseen speakers, making the silence between the three young men in the room painfully awkward.

"So," Kadaj broke the ice, turning towards Shake with a lazy expression. "What the fuck was up with you and that guy?"

Shake snorted, reaching forward to grab his miso soup and raise it to his lips, "We have… a history together. He was one of very few able to defeat me… and I believe that was only because he was under my skin to begin with."

"So… you're gay?" Kadaj asked nonchalantly, though his voice was softer than Riku had ever remembered it being. Riku nearly choked on his soup, coughing into the bowl so hard that Shake reached over to hit him on the back several times.

"I-if you must know, yes. I am partial to men." Shake mumbled, his pale cheeks turning dark red.

"Oh." Kadaj turned his head towards the ceiling, taking a bite out of his pinwheel sandwich.

Riku was staring awkwardly at his soup. All of the sudden it seemed so interesting, like there was a layer of water above the miso, which was drifting towards the bottom. '_Oh and there goes some tofu floating by,_' Riku thought, fighting the urge to get up and leave that very moment, '_I'm not paying attention to the fact that my older brother obviously has the hotts for this _guy _right next to me. Nope, not at all.'_

"Yuffie finds the need to torment me about it every chance she gets." Shake continued conversationally, however awkwardly, "I would've been next in line for the throne if she failed to marry."

"That sucks." Kadaj shrugged.

'_Yep, this is probably the most awkward conversation I've ever witnessed. I should take this as a chance to exit to the bathroom._' Riku decided, standing up. A pair of violet eyes fell upon him at the same time as his brother's catlike ones.

"Uh, bathroom." Riku explained, wasting no time crossing the room and darting out of the door. He spun around and closed it, leaning against the cool grooves in the wood.

"So are they making out yet?"

"GAH!" Riku spun around to face Gale and Hearth, whom were standing behind him expectantly. "I—you! _Where the fuck do you people keep coming from!?_"

"Oh please, Shake obviously had the hotts for that grey-haired kid." Hearth chuckled with a flamboyant flip of his hair. "I'm just trying to help him out, as a peace offering, you know?"

'_No, I _don't _know. Now would you kindly fuck off before I kill something?!'_ Riku thought bitterly, "Uh… yeah. I kinda… you know what; I think I should be going now."

"We'll be sure to tell them!" Gale smiled; waving goodbye to Riku as he nearly sprinted out the door. He turned to Hearth happily, "Good job scaring him off. He was really interfering!"

"Don't I know it." Smirked the elder boy, leaning casually against the door.

* * *

Riku dashed out of the café, falling gratefully to his knees in the middle of the street, gasping lungfulls of fresh air as if he'd just been compressed in a tiny box.

'_Okay, that was_ the_ most awkward situation I've ever been in_.' He decided, pulling himself up and shoving his hands into his front pockets, taking some time to glance around the immediate area. Across the street, women haggled loudly in an open-air market, and to his left, several kids were leaving the arcade, arguing over the high score on MacPan. Riku reached to grope around his pocket for spare change, only to find that it was empty, '_Shit. My wallet's in my pack._'

With a defeated sigh, he started towards the tall castle that peeked over the rest of the buildings, deciding to wonder around the grounds until he found Vincent or Yuffie.

"It couldn't be any worse than being crammed up in that café." He muttered to himself, realizing with a painful groan of his stomach that he hadn't even finished his miso. The smell of teriyaki wafted over from the open air market and Riku winced, prying himself away.

The walk to the palace was pleasant, and allowed Riku to take in the surroundings more carefully than he had when Kadaj was dragging him and Shake down the narrow roads at a mile a minute. Everywhere children shouted happily, playing wild games of chase in the streets as the adults watched from their small vendors, exchanging rapid words of mixed Wutianese and English with one another.

Riku stopped as he broke away from the shopping district into the spacious residential area, spotting a wooden sign with elegant Wutianese characters brushed upon it. Below were roman cursive letter's that read '_Ocha Teahouse_'. There was a five foot gate made of dark wood surrounding the area, bamboo and wispy trees peeking over the edge. The various roofs of the teahouse powered over the edge, curved and thatched.

Riku stared, getting the impression that it was supposed to present more of a calming presence than this foreboding one. He continued down the road, turning his head to stare back at the teahouse one final time, the hairs on his neck standing on end.

* * *

The Kisaragi manor was only a several minute's walk from the teahouse, and Riku found it quite enjoyable to explore, coming across a small rock garden, the golden sand raked elegantly around the ashen boulders. The silver-haired youth backed up in determination, feline eyes narrowed in concentration as he crouched into a running sprint, leaping over the sand and landing on one of the rocks.

"_Woa_-h there!" A deep voice exclaimed as a man dressed in heavy green robes lumbered into view. "Be careful not to wreck that sand, or Staniv will have your ass for dinner."

"Sorry." Riku apologized sheepishly, jumping from the rock and landing safely on the cobblestone path that surrounded it.

"Huh, you seem to be a pretty nimble kid. What's your name?" The large man asked, reaching behind his head to gather his hair into a low ponytail.

"Riku Nonaka." He replied. The man's eyes widened and a large smile split his face as he reached around to clap a large hand on the teen's shoulder, nearly crushing him in the process.

"Oho! So you're one of the silver boys Yuffie brought back from the mainland!" He grinned, giving Riku a small shake; which was roughly the equivalent of an earthquake to the teen, "Name's Gorkii, damn glad to meet you, Riku! I suppose Yuffie always says great things about me, her favorite uncle?"

"No, she really hasn't…" Riku mumbled awkwardly, sighing when Gorkii removed his hand waving it around nonchalantly.

"Eh, she's probably just been too busy with Vince to say anything. Heard I'm gonna be a great uncle, Godo flipped a shit, though…" He trailed off awkwardly, reaching up to rub the stubble on his face, "Eh, who cares? Can't undo it now, can we? Godo should at least be happy Yuffie managed to land a decent guy; girl's been the wild type since she was a little kid. 'Specially after Nee-chama died."

"You're Yuffie's mom's brother?" Riku asked incredulously. Gorkii barked a laugh, grinning jovially at Riku.

"Yup, Kasumi's one and only little brother!"

'_Little?_' Riku thought, quirking an eyebrow. He doubted Gorkii could be smaller than _anything_.

"God, I miss the girl." Gorkii went on, "Sharp as a tack with a biting sense of satire—one of Wutai's greatest ninjas as well. She would've been at the top of the pagoda if it wasn't for the fact that neither of 'em would ever raise a hand to each other—Godo and Kasumi, I mean. Always surprised me he ever let Yuffie take him on all those years ago. Eh, well _I'd_ be pissed off too if _my_ kingdom had become a tourist trap—"

Riku stood and listening to Gorkii ramble for the next several minutes, barely understanding what the man was going on about.

"—cute kids, you know? Despite the fact they'd be undead ninja babies! Ha HA! I gotta tease Yuffie about that one—"

_GRRRRRRREEEEE_.

Gorkii stopped mid-sentence at the sound of Riku's growling stomach, staring at the paling teen before him with wide green eyes.

"Uh, sorry, I didn't get..." Riku began awkwardly, never knowing his stomach was capable of producing such noises.

"Man _alive_, kid! When the hell was the last time you ate?" Gorkii asked, seizing Riku by the shoulder and beginning to drag him along.

"Uh, I had breakfast at about nine—"

"Good _Leviathan_ almighty!" Gorkii exclaimed, "No wonder you're so skinny! A _beanpole_ for Da Chao's sake!"

Thus was Riku dragged off to a new location for the second time in less than two hours. Gorkii pulled him across the estate and into the main building, where a small waterfall churned into a koi pond. They veered to the left and down a narrow hall, the green-clad man cheerfully bursting through a set of double doors.

"Hey Hitomi! This kid is _starvin_'! Whip him up something good, okay?" He cried out. A petite woman peeked her head over the side of a stove and shouted in agreement. Gorkii then picked up on another one of his tangents and Riku instantly knew to tune him out. Riku glanced around the kitchen, bored out of his ever-loving mind, until his eyes landed on a teacup set on a nearby counter. He turned to the large man, whom had made himself comfortable in a tiny chair straining under his weight

"—playin' with the _saw_! Of course, Godo never found out, 'cause then he'd—"

"Hey, Gorkii," Riku began, "What do you know about the Ocha Teahouse?"

Gorkii stopped and his face darkened, his lips sinking into a scowl, "Ocha Teahouse? Feh! Only the biggest bunch of backstabbing cowards in all of Wutai! They had Shin-Ra eating out of the palm of their hand before the war—givin' 'em all sorts of insight about what our side was up to, all so they could profit from a couple of tourists."

"What do you think about now? You know, with what's happening over in Edge— you think they're involved in it?" Riku asked, leaning foreword towards Gorkii as the small chef from before placed a large plate of chicken on the counter beside them and curtly shoved a pair of chopsticks into each of their hands.

Gorkii furrowed his brow, taking a piece of the chicken off of the plate and raising it to his lips, "You know, I wouldn't doubt it." He growled, taking a large bite. He seemed to ponder the question further as he chewed, swallowing before he continued, "You should check it out while your stayin' here, I'm sure we could get you in no problem if Staniv pulls a few strings, he's a regular at that place… really pissed us off at first, the fact that Staniv kept going goin' back there after everything. Turns out that he has a love for their tea greater than any sort of thing I've ever seen—"

The kitchen doors flew open, banging harshly into the walls. Yuffie stormed in, her face and eyes bright red, glistening with tears. She released a feral shout and slammed her fist onto the counter as the chef Hitomi began to chatter to get worriedly in Wutianese.

"Yuff, what the hell happened?" Gorkii asked, springing up from his seat and rushing over to the girl. Yuffie flew into his arms, burying her face into his chest, where she expelled several muffled screams. The door swung open again and a tall, lithe man strode in after the girl, flipping his dark hair over one shoulder. Gorkii looked at him, shocked. "Staniv… what—?"

"I found her attempting to set one of Godo-sama's favorite tapestries on fire while on my way here for my afternoon tea. I told her that she could probably find you here as well." Staniv explained calmly, crossing the room to where his tea set was waiting. "Naturally, she came here running."

"Yuffie, can you tell me what happened?" Gorkii asked, soothingly stroking the girl's hair.

She released a string of garbled words into his chest, gasping and sobbing something along the lines of 'NOT FAIR! IT'S NOT FAIR!' Gorkii heaved a sigh and looked pleadingly at Staniv.

"Can you take Riku here up to his room… and also make some reservations at the teahouse?" He asked softly as Yuffie bawled into his chest.

"Of course." Staniv nodded calmly with a brief bow. He picked up his tray of tea and turned to Riku. "Come along, you may bring you food with you."

Riku nodded, his eyes darting from Yuffie and Gorkii, to Staniv, and finally to his chicken, which he scooped up before taking off after the tall man. They traveled in silence, out into the main room and then up a flight of stairs railed in bright red.

Riku glanced around, observing several ornamental statues of grinning lions guarding heavy sets of doors, as well as a smoldering tapestry. Exasperated servants dashed up and down the halls, shaking their heads and muttering darkly under their breaths. They flinched in unison at the sound of a gunshot succeeded by a tormented yell.

"What was that?!" Riku asked Staniv, spinning around wildly. Staniv continued down the hall, unphased.

"Come." He instructed, Riku reluctantly continuing behind him. "There is no threat here, do not worry yourself." He paused before a stretch of wall and slid open a small fraction of it; revealing that it was actually a souji door that lead into a medium sized room.

It was sparsely furnished with a small table low to the ground, made of dark wood. The sections of walls that were not composed of souji were painted a neutral dark green, and there was a small closet made of dark wood beside a stretch of souji windows that allowed in filtered sunlight.

"I've been assured that you and your brother's things are safely packed away in the closet." He reached open to slide open the souji across from the closet. "There is a toilet and bath in here."

"Uh… thanks." Riku said, bowing to the man. "My name's Riku Nonaka, by the way."

"I am Staniv, fourth God of the Wutai Pagoda." The tall man bowed in reply to the teenager. "I shall make arrangements for you four at the teahouse."

"Thanks again…" Riku offered lamely as Staniv dashed across the room and slid out, closing the souji behind him. With a sigh, he set his food down on the short table and promptly devoured it before flopping down onto his back, staring at the circular light on the ceiling.

"This place is already driving me insane… and it hasn't even been a day…" He mumbled to himself, reaching up to rub his eyelids. "That bath's starting to sound pretty good right now…"

He stood up and went to search for his things in the closet, pulling a grey and blue pinstripe dress shirt and a loose pair of jeans from his duffle bag, complementary of his shopping excursion with Haruki and Yuffie the day before.

He entered a small room with a sink and a toilet, as well as a hamper with a small bench beside it, designed for undressing at. He stripped of his clothing, leaving them in a messy lump upon the bench before he slid open the cabinets above it to remove two clean towels and twin bottles of shampoo and conditioner, as well as a small bar of soap that smelt strongly of mint.

Riku pushed open the door to the bath, and blinked several times in surprise.

It was shockingly different from any bath he'd seen before; the room was small and completely paneled in dark wood. A few gaps between the wood provided a drain for a detachable shower nozzle hanging on the wall, a small stool below it served as a seat for the washer. There was a deep, square tub immediately beside it, a wooden chute from the wall providing as a tap. Riku awkwardly twisted the knob beside it, reaching down into the tub to close the drain.

'_Okay, so I guess I use the shower to wash my hair while I'm waiting for the tub to fill up._' Riku theorized, setting the shampoo and soap down next to the stool, which he pulled out under the shower nozzle. After spending some time fiddling with it Riku pulled the nozzle from the wall and began to soak himself.

'_God knows the last time I got to take fine minutes to relax._' He thought, hanging the nozzle back up and beginning to tend to his hair.

After showering, Riku rang out his hair and lowered himself into the tub, reaching out to turn off the tap. "Christ this is hot…" he mumbled to himself, rolling his neck to relieve the stress that had gathered there.

'_Mmn… it's so nice in here, though, once you get used to it…_' His mouth stretched open into a yawn, his jaw cracking loudly before he closed his eyes. '_You could just fall… right… asleep…_'

* * *

BANG. BANG. BANG.

"Riku, are you a prune, yet?!"

Riku jumped awake with a start, causing water to splash over the side of the tub. He felt like he'd been asleep for at least an hour, yet the water in the tub was still comfortably warm.

"Ri-KU! I know you're in there!" Yuffie cried, still banging impatiently on the door, "Don't make me come in there and get you myself!"

"Sorry! I fell asleep!" Riku shouted in apology, pulling himself out of the bath. He stared at his hands, finding that they were swollen with water, the ripples on his fingers plump. He slid open the door to the changing room, quickly starting to towel himself off.

"You fell asleep?! Geeeez, you're lazy!" Yuffie pouted from the other side of the door. Riku rolled his eyes and started to pull on his clean clothes.

"Are you DONE yet?!" The ninja asked loudly from the other side of the door.

"Give me two minutes, seesh!" Riku growled in reply, pulling his shirt on and starting to button it up as he slid open the door. Yuffie took one look at the towel thrown comically over his head and burst into laughter. "Shut up!"

"You like— like a _nun_!" Cackled the dark-haired girl, obviously in a much better mood than earlier. She composed herself, a jovial smirk still curled onto her lips. "C'mon Riku—and don't fly away!"

"What are you talking about?" Riku huffed, throwing the towel onto the floor of the changing room and begrudgingly following after the small ninja.

"C'mon Riku, we don't have all night!" Yuffie taunted, frolicking down the hallway towards one of the large set of double doors, which slightly ajar. Yuffie yanked it open and urged Riku inside, shutting them behind her with a dark sense of finality.

This room was, to be frank, beautiful. It was easily three times the size of Riku and Kadaj's guest room. Sets of souji that sectioned it off into several parts were thrown wide open, one final set opened into a beautiful sunroom encased in glass that filled the room with natural light. The walls were decorated with beautiful murals of the Wutianese countryside, as well as a large kimono that depicted ivory cranes and bright red and gold flowers above a shockingly blue sea.

In the middle of the room was Kadaj, looking fit to kill. His hair was ruffled and eyes narrowed into an eternal optic death ray. Next to him sat Chekhov, whom was fanning herself using a lavish pink fan embossed with silver swirls.

"What's going on, Yuffie?" Riku asked, turning towards the ninja, whom stared at him with a positively frightening, devious smirk.

"It seems that Staniv couldn't get reservations for four—at the teahouse you know." Chekhov huffed. Riku stared at her incredulously. Her voice was now a loud drawl, a harsh contrast to the soft voice that she had greeted them with earlier that morning, "So, we're going to have to sneak you and your dear brother in."

"How?" Riku asked. Yuffie dashed over to him, grinning into his face.

"You know whose room this used to be?" She asked happily. Riku stood a step backwards, feeling as if he's just been locked in a room with a crazed murderer.

"Uh… no?" He replied.

"This, dearest Riku, is the room that belonged to my dearly departed mother, Kasumi Kisaragi," Yuffie explained, "And she was quite fond of collecting many beautiful, expensive kimono from all around Wutai."

"…I still don't understand." Riku said, backing up even further. Chekhov huffed angrily.

"We're dressing you and your equally androgynous brother up as Geisha in order to sneak you into the teahouse, you dolt." She explained. Kadaj growled like an angry feline and glared at her from the corner of his eye. If looks could kill…

"Wait—WHAT?!" Riku nearly jumped as Yuffie backed him into a wall, beaming poisonous sunshine rainbows at him. "Why can't we just—something else or—?!"

"Because, sweet Riku, it's the easiest way and we don't really have any other ideas, and unless you can come up with one within the next second, you're getting prettified right here, right now." Yuffie explained, folding her arms across her chest. Riku made a noise, and he was seized by both arms by a very insane Yuffie, cackling happily.

"Let's make it easy for you boys. Get undressed." Chekhov started, pushing herself off of the floor, "You can leave your under things on. There are so many damn layers, it wouldn't make a difference."

"_I am not dressing—!_" Riku began, but was quickly silenced as Chekhov shut her fan and swatted his arm with it.

"I'd shut up, boy, before we make you get naked." She smirked triumphantly as Riku gawked at her and began to unbutton his top. Kadaj stood beside him, peeling off his 'Fuck The System' tee shirt, his eye twitching rapidly.

"Yuffie, I think you broke Kadaj." Riku informed the ninja as she and Chekhov began to remove the carefully folded robes from the depths of Yuffie's mother's closet. When he did not receive a reply, he glanced back at his brother's disheveled hair and a long set of red marks running down his forearms. "What the hell have _you_ been doing?"

Kadaj managed to muster a smirk, "Do you really wanna know?"

Before Riku had a chance to convey his disgust, Yuffie marched over to him and threw a thin silk robe over his shoulders, mumbling under her breath just loud enough to be coherent.

"Good thing mom always bought long robes… you're so damn tall…" She glanced up at Riku as Chekhov began to hassle Kadaj into one of the scarlet-lined robes. "How tall are you anyway?"  
"Five-ten-ish?" Riku informed her, Yuffie nodded and turned on her heel, grabbing a wool layer robe of pale blue and pulling it over Riku's shoulders.

"Good. Then Kadaj will have no problem wearing the short robes, 'cause he can't be taller than five-five." Yuffie concluded cheerfully, securing the robe on Riku with a thin sash before grabbing yet another layering robe, this one subdued lavender.

"If anyone asks, your name is Yuki of the Nomura-ke from the Chotocho Hanamachi." Chekhov instructed, jabbing a finger at Riku. "This is your elder sister, Karin of the Uematsu-ke—same district."

"I'm Yuki from where?" Riku asked as Yuffie loaded yet another layer onto him, this one long and red, detailed with pure white lilies.

"Yuki Nomura, Chotocho Hanamachi." Chekhov repeated tersely, shoving Kadaj violently to one side as she wrestled him into his next layer.

"O…kay?" Riku nodded slowly. The whole ordeal was still rarely registering in his head, and he turned to glare at Yuffie as she hoisted what had to be the seventh kimono onto him. "How many of those damn things do I need?!"

"Its fall, so thirteen, at least." Yuffie informed him casually. Riku started, shaking his head.

"_Thirteen_?!" Plop. Yet another layer went on. "Yuffie, are you sure about—?!"

"Look here, boy. We're wasting our time playing dress-up with you and your brother." Chekhov snarled, pointing an accusatory finger at Riku. "You should be thankful that we aren't making you risk your asses by sneaking into that place, which is probably teeming with snipers and assassins. If you want to strip and go see for yourself, be my guest!"

Riku fell silent for the next ten minutes. Kadaj ceased struggling as well, falling into a frustrated submission akin to that of a cat that had just finished being bathed.

Finally, after what had seemed like forever, Yuffie wrapped a silken outermost layer over Riku's shoulders. It was a stunning royal blue detailed with soft white flowers rimmed in silver lace, and nothing more. The sleeves flowed down to Riku's ankles, swaying as Yuffie pushed him over to her aunt.

Chekhov was busy tying the thick, frivolous belt around Kadaj's waist in an intricate bow; the navy blue stood out violently against the violet robe decorated with small plum colored blossoms. The woman promptly shoved Kadaj away and beaconed Riku, lifting a navy blue belt from the floor and wrapping it around his waist several times before tying it in a cascading knot with skilled hands.

"This would've taken hours if it was anyone other than me." She declared smugly, sauntering across the room to where a small wooden case sat in the corner. "Come here, Karin. I need to do your makeup."

"Shouldn't you have done that before you put me in these god-awful things?!" Kadaj spat; however, he plopped down in front of her and she began to apply a white cream make-up to his face.

"I find it much easier this way." Chekhov informed him, "No risk of smudging it while you're getting dressed." She reached into her pocket, removing a package of cigarettes and a lighter. She slipped one of the thin sticks from the box and cupped her hand around it, inhaling so deeply that several ashes fell off of the end straightaway. She blew the smoke out of the corner of her mouth and stuck the cigarette in-between her lips, continuing Kadaj's makeup.

Riku sighed and stiffly knelt on the floor, attempting to allow his brain to catch up with the rest of his body; but he was still barely able to register that he was dressed up like a _girl_. He began to nonchalantly glance around the room, watching Yuffie slide open a closet and remove a set kimono.

"Aunt Chekhov, I'm gonna go get dressed." She informed the elder woman. "If Kadaj gives you any more shit, just spray him with water and say 'bad kitty'!" Kadaj twitched irately, but miraculously did not attack the ninja. "Riku will be okay, it looks like he's still a state of shock. Okies, then! Bye-bye!"

* * *

"For the love _of Leviathan_, boy! Hold _still_!" Chekhov complained, dipping a brush in red makeup.

"I'm just not used to having people stick things in my eye." Riku replied sarcastically, resisting the urge to reach up and rub the offended eye. He quickly shut them once more and felt the fine brush sweep across the tip of his eyelid. Chekhov lightly blew to dry it, filling Riku's nose with the putrid stench of cigarette smoke.

"Open your eyes." The dark-haired woman commanded, tapping a fat brown brush on the side of her makeup box and beginning to buff Riku's cheeks with cherry blossom pink. Riku sighed and shifted his legs into a more comfortable position, vaguely aware of his brother seething on the other side of the room, making small noises of anger.

"There." Chekhov smiled at Riku, which was truly a relief to see, even if she was probably only smirking at her wonderful job on his makeup, "You look beautiful. Ah! One more thing…" She reached down into her case and removed a small band, standing up to move position herself behind Riku, gathering up a handful of silver hair, "Unlike your brother, who is posing as an accomplished Geisha, you must wear your hair up. Seeing as girls in Wutai—even professional Geisha—are fond of dying their hair these days, we won't have to dye your hair. Men actually prefer the company of exotic girls, and I think you fit the bill."

She finally ceased pulling his hair and crossed the room to the closet, removing a pair of uncomfortable-looking wooden sandals, which she handed to Riku. He slipped them over his tabi socks and stood awkwardly, his hands sticking farther out from his body than he would've liked complements of the thirteen layers he was dressed in.

"Show some grace boy. I've seen prostitutes with better posture than that." Chekhov snapped, grasping his hands and folding them in front of him. "Walk quickly, but quietly. Act docile and shy. Graceful… and above all, think like a woman. Both of you! Show me what you can do. Walk right over to that mirror"

'_Think like a woman. Right._' Riku locked his eyes on the mirror, brow furrowed in determination—and then remembered he was supposed to be a woman. '_Okay… uh… how does Kairi look? Little smile, shoulders relaxed, head tilted to one side..._'

He quietly shuffled across the room, doing his best to glide in the clunky wooden shoes, before arriving at the mirror next to Kadaj.

Two young men peered into the mirror, a pair of young woman stared placidly back out.

Riku most likely would've mistaken Kadaj for an actual woman if he hadn't known it was him. His hair framed his face, silky straight. The dye had begun to wash out, starting at the roots pure silver and fading smoothly to ebony at the ends. His face was painted white as that of a porcelain doll's; eyes framed in smoky black rings, lips painted bright cherry red.

Riku was in no better shape, his face receiving the same treatment, save for the face that his cheeks were dusted in a childish blush and only his lower lip was painted, giving him an eternal pout. Chekhov had pulled his hair into an elegant twist at the top of his head, tendrils cascading from it. A small hair charm decorated in red and blue crystals protruded from his bun, making small jingling noises as he swayed nervously.

A high-pitched squeal sounded from the doorway and Yuffie had pushed between the two brothers before they even knew what was happening, an arm slung around each of their shoulders.

"Wow! And_ I_ didn't think it could be done!" Yuffie beamed. Riku and Kadaj stared at her reflection in shock. The ninja's messy hair was tamed straight, parted on the side, her bangs on the other side were held back with a clip glittering with silver crystals.

Her outfit gave her a startlingly regal and mature appearance. It consisted of several heavy outer robes of colors ranging from forest green to navy blue. A white haori barely peeked out from the robes, the majority of it covered by a pair of loud scarlet hakama that covered her legs and feet.

"I had to see it to believe it." A familiar voice commented. Both Kadaj and Riku jumped, horror blossoming on their faces to see that Vincent was witnessing them dressed like women. The gunslinger himself was dressed in a pair of grey hakama, a darker grey kimono underneath; a black haori rested on his shoulders. His usually tousled raven tresses were worn straight, gathered into a ponytail at the base of his neck. "And there I was sure Kadaj was going to murder the first person who tried to put him in a dress."

"Oooooh!" Yuffie cried, spinning on her heel to face Vincent. "That reminds me of this one time Aeris was telling me she had to dress Cloud up as a girl to sneak him into that pervy fatass's mansion to save Tifa!"

"Wait, hold on!" Riku shook his hand, waving his hands around wildly. "Someone dressed _Cloud_ up as a _girl_?"

"Yes! AND I DIDN'T GET TO SEE IT!" The princess pouted, stomping her foot in anger.

"Cloud. As a girl. In a dress." Riku repeated slowly.

"Yeah, that's what I just said, retardo!" Yuffie replied, grasping Vincent's arm. "Now come on! We have to get going if we don't wanna be late."

They promptly left the room, leaving Kadaj and Riku standing in a stupor. Chekhov was still sitting, packing away her makeup in silence.

"Kadaj?" Riku began slowly.

"Yeah Riku?"

"This never happened."

"Never."

* * *

"All you have to do is stay calm and act like a woman! Stop freaking out!" Yuffie hissed to Kadaj as they shuffled towards the entrance of the teahouse, pressing through the thick throng of kimono-clad citizens attempting to weasel their way in.

"Oh yeah, 'cause that's something I do _every day_!" Kadaj retorted, glaring at Yuffie from behind a sheet of his wild-toned hair. Vincent heaved a frustrated sigh and stepped in between the two, forcing them away from each other by an arm's length.

"If you two don't stop fighting like spoiled children, we'll be found out and all hopes of a peaceful confrontation will be _thrown out the window_." He glared at each of them in turn. "So I suggest you show some maturity and act like adults for _one night_ so we can avoid shooting anyone."

Kadaj's lip curled back in a silent snarl, crossing his arms over his chest haughtily as if to say that shooting someone would be better than dressing as a woman. Riku would usually not agree to such violence, but the look that a tall young man standing several feet away was giving him made Riku not only want to shoot everyone in the vicinity, but himself as well. Riku was jolted away from the thought of shoving his Keyblade through the man's spleen by a loud pout Yuffie released before she gripped onto his arm tightly.

"Fine then! I guess Yuki-chan's the only one who still loves me!" Yuffie announced, nuzzling Riku's arm affectionately. He turned to give her an odd look before noticing that Yuffie's antics had a negative effect on the creepy boy watching him like a hawk. Letting every cuss-word known to man run through his mind, Riku took a deep breath and beamed at Yuffie.

"Awe, you're so _cute_, Yuffie-chan!" He squealed in the most feminine voice he could muster. "I love you, too!" He proceeded to hug her back with a feminine giggle, noticing his suitor inch away, thoroughly disturbed. Only then was he able to breathe freely.

"Riku." Kadaj said, gaping in disbelief. Even Vincent had arched an eyebrow at the key wielder and looked ready to admit him to a mental institution. "What. The. _Fuck_?"

"That guy was looking at me like a slab of meat." Riku informed his brother, releasing his grip on Yuffie's arm. "I had to do something, and I wasn't about to stick my Keyblade in his chest and cause a scene."

"Sureeee…" Kadaj said slowly as they approached the entrance, which was a small opening in the dark gate flocked by a muscular man in a royal blue kimono, squeezing a guest list tightly in his beefy hand. Riku had never seen a bouncer before, let alone a _teahouse _bouncer, but he was fairly certain that as far as bouncers went, this one was the real deal. Before he knew it, Kadaj had seized his arm and was slinking up towards the bouncer, a confident, albeit seductive, look on his face.

"Hey there." Kadaj greeted the man in a raspy, feminine voice. "I'm Karin, from the Uematsu-ke. This here's my imouto-chan from the Nomura-ke. We're visiting from the Chotocho Hanamachi." His feline eyes flicked up and down the man's frame, a smirk curling onto his pink lips. "I'm certain we're on your list. Nomura-kaa-san should've made arrangements earlier today."

The bouncer cleared his throat, shuffling his feet nervously. "Ah… well…" His eyes flicked from the guest list to the beautiful geisha no more than two feet away smiling at him with heavily-lidded eyes. "Ah, yes… here you are." He pointed to a random spot of the pad of paper, not even touching a certain name. "We're very lucky to have such charming sisters entertain at the Ocha teahouse this evening."

"Thank you." Kadaj cooed and he and Riku slipped by the man into the garden.

"_Nailed it!_" He mouthed to Riku triumphantly. His brother stared back in mild shock.

'_Okay, if _I_ was acting feminine towards Yuffie, then what the hell was Kadaj just acting back—_'

"NEVER 'ERD OF MOI?!" A heavily-accented voice cried indignantly, causing the silver-tressed brothers to spin around. A beautiful woman was standing in front of the bouncer, dressed in a most elegant furisode kimono of jade green. Her collar was lined with white fur flecked in soft grey spots; it was a bit early for the season, but it contrasted magnificently with her long red tresses pulled up into a high ponytail upon her head. A nervous silver-haired old man with a toothbrush moustache stood behind her, trembling nervously.

"S-sir!" He sputtered, grasping a briefcase to his chest. "T-the Madame gets quite frustrated when people claim they've never heard of her… s-so if you could just let her in…"

"I've never heard of an "Estar Fondue"." The guard glowered at the melodramatic woman, whom let out a shriek loud enough to break every window within a three mile radius.

"Estelle Dubouis!" She corrected furiously, stomping a foot and pointing towards the man accusingly, "_Écoutent ici, les âne-pour-cerveaux, me permettent intérieur ou je—_"

"_Estelle, chérie ! Quelle est la matière, ici?_" A familiar voice cooed sympathetically and Yuffie pushed her way to the front of the crowd, "_Quand deux êtes-vous arrivé?_"

"_Cet après-midi. Le Nuage a voulu que nous vous rencontrassent ici. Couverture pour nous, svp, Yuffie_." The woman replied in relief. Yuffie nodded and turned to the bouncer, whom started, lowering himself into a deep bow.

"Ah! Y-your highness, I didn't recognize you…!" He began, but with suddenly interrupted by Yuffie.

"Do you have any idea who this is?!" The princess shouted, throwing an arm out to Estelle, whom looked drown upon the man as if she were watching a small, diseased animal writhe in the dirt.

"Ah… no…" He mumbled nervously.

"THIS—is my personal wardrobe assistant, the famous designer Estelle Dubouis! The reason you've never heard of her is probably because she's _very exclusive_." Yuffie explained, "_So _exclusive you have to _at least_ have control over a small country to even receive her catalog!"

"But… uh, your royal grace… we don't have any room for another guest, let alone two—" The bouncer began, his eyes darting between Estelle and her trembling assistant.

"Gawd, they aren't going in as guests, I just need her in the bathroom in case of a wardrobe malfunction!" Yuffie huffed, and if her hair was longer, she would've flipped it before planting her hands on her hips.

"T-then I don't see a problem… please come right in, your grace… I-I'm so sorry for the trouble." He shuffled out of the way, becoming a quivering ball of shame under Estelle's smug glare. The redhead sighed in relief and passed Kadaj and Riku, smirking lightly at the elder brother before turning and disappearing into one of the smaller teahouse rooms along with her nervous assistant.

"Come on." Riku said to Kadaj, grabbing his arm and yanking him away from the haughty fashion designer, pulling him into the main teahouse after Vincent and Yuffie. A small geisha dressed in a brownish red kimono pushed open a door from her seat on the floor, bowing deeply to the couple as they disappeared into a large room. She slid it closed and turned her dark eyes on Kadaj and Riku.

"Hello, we're visiting from the Chotocho Hanamachi, and we haven't been here before. Could you tell us the way the entertainers enter the room?" Kadaj asked sweetly; the girl smiled and nodded, quietly giving him directions towards a souji. The two shuffled over and slowly slid the door open, entering a dimly lit room. Another geisha was already entertaining Vincent and Yuffie as well as—

"_Shake..._" Kadaj whispered, his eyes narrowing into slits. "That _bastard_ got reservations—?! We could've avoided playing dress-up if he'd just have…"

Shake glanced over his shoulder at Kadaj nonchalantly, as if to signify he knew he was there. He turned towards the geisha, a small brunette clad in icy blues, and brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes, chuckling softly. He shot Kadaj a triumphant look as the pseudo-geisha cringed in what Riku assumed had to be jealousy. Riku turned as he heard a souji slide open slightly and viewed the woman from before, Estelle, sitting just beyond a small crack she'd opened on the wall of souji on the other side of the room.

He didn't even have time to point her out to Kadaj before a souji directly across from the two was thrown open and a young man traipsed in. His haori fit loosely as if he'd been dressed in it and then shrunk into his current frail frame, and the hakama seemed to be drawn as tightly as possible around his waist, yet still slumped off of his hips. The youth's hair was naturally brown, streaked with red lowlights and highlights and thrown into a hasty ponytail. He stretched out his arms as if expecting a hug from Yuffie, advancing towards her with a sickeningly fake smirk on his face.

"Yuffie-chan…" He drawled, flopping down unceremoniously onto a small set of pillows intended to sit on that seemed to make a better sort of bed for the strange man. Vincent started at the lack of an appropriate honorific, but Yuffie raised her hand just barely off of her lap to still him. It was shocking how formally the girl sat, her legs tucked beside her side-saddle, hands folded elegantly over her lap. The look on her face was that of a strong, regal princess—not at all that of a young woman whom had been arguing with Kadaj moments earlier.

"Thank you for making last-minute reservations for us, Ocha-kun. It is deeply appreciated." Yuffie said in the voice of a woman, and even Vincent looked mildly shocked.

"Ah, it's nothing, its nothing!" Nai Ocha grinned lazily, waving off the thanks with a flapping hand. "We usually get Staniv and Shake in here every Friday anyway. It's a good change of pace to see the lovely Princess and her concubine here in Staniv's place—"

Yuffie's brown eyes flashed silver with such ferocity that Riku nearly cringed away, "Vincent isn't my _manwhore_," She spat, some of her youth and vigor returning to her voice. "He's my fiancé and I'd rather he be treated with _respect_."

Riku and Kadaj glanced to Vincent, whom seemed to be unaffected by the comment. More or less, he seemed to be repressing a smirk at the way Nai acted.

"Oh! Yuffie-chan! I'm so sorry!" The young man feigned embarrassment, clapping his hands around his face. "It's a pleasure to know you'll be married! We should have the reception here, in our gardens!"

Shake snorted as the brunette geisha giggled silvery behind her sleeve and poured him a small cup of saké.

Nai scowled at the girl, "Shut it, you." He turned back towards Vincent and Yuffie, gesturing Riku over. "I'll have this one over here pour us some tea. Looks like she's visiting from another Hanamachi. Come here, sweetie, don't be shy. "

Riku forced a timid smile, attempting the repress the urge for his body to go into 'Oh Shit' mode and lifted himself from the floor. He sat before the wiry boy that was staring at him with half-lidded eyes like a drunken cow would eye a river of wine.

"Gods you're a pretty one." He rasped, reaching up to twist a lock of Riku's silver hair around his finger. His face was so close that Riku could smell the alcohol on his breath. "Pour us each a cuppa, would you honey?"

"O-of course…" Riku said breathily, suppressing the urge to beat the living crap out of the teahouse owner. "Um… where do you keep your teapot?"

Nai didn't even blink an eye, raising a hand to gesture the blue-clad geisha over. She gracefully rose to her feet and glided over to the corner, returning moments later with a black teapot and a set of matching cups. Nai flicked his dark eyes up to meet Riku's icy ones, his lips pulling back to reveal twin rows of yellowing teeth.

Nai lowered his head and whispered dangerously close to Riku's ear: "Go ahead, sweetie. It's not like you've never seen a teapot before."

Riku nearly gasped, feeling his heart slide down through his chest and fall into his stomach with a sickening plop, "Right." He promptly poured three steaming cups, handing one cup to the brunette, who made sure to brush his long, pasty fingers against Riku's.

"Here you are your highness." He turned and offered a cup to Yuffie, whom snatched it away without batting an eye, brown orbs turned to glare daggers at the obviously unforgiven Nai. Riku winced slightly and offered a cup to Vincent, whom nodded in thanks before setting it down beside him.

"So, Yuffie." Nai said airily, leaning back into his pillows as he twirled the dark cup in one of his hands, using the other to shoo Riku away. "What would cause to you inquire of my presence if you aren't interested in holding a reception here, I wonder?"

"We are here on behalf of the well-being of Wutai." Vincent spoke in Yuffie's place. "Your establishment's involvement with the Shin-Ra war all those years ago has not gone overlooked—and with the situation in the Midgar area, we would suppose it would be safe to confront you with this."

Nai's eyes widened to the size of saucers and he nearly dropped his cup of tea on the floor, fumbling as it split all over his pasty hands. "I-I have no idea what you're talking about…!" He quickly attempted to compose himself, squirming under Yuffie and Vincent's pinning glares. "I-it was my father all those years ago! I was a mere child and I had no involvement with the issue and I assure you whatever you've heard about this pact is false…"

"We've heard nothing of a pact, but it's quite an interesting detail." Vincent smirked. Nai made an awful little squeaking voice in the back of his throat before miserably falling to his hands and knees in shame, crawling over to Yuffie and bowing low.

"I apologize deeply your royal highness." He whispered so softly that it was nearly impossible to hear in voice.

Yuffie starred down at him in mild shock, opening her mouth to reply before Nai sprang from the floor, grabbing her around the neck and tugging her head up by the roots of her hair. A tiny handgun was held in his trembling fist, the muzzle pressed up against the exposed flesh of her throat.

"Don't make a fucking move, _any of you_!" He snarled around at the room, and everything else seemed to happen so quickly that Riku barely had time to register it as he summoned his key blade to his hand. Kadaj started, twisting his body into a defensive crouch. Shake cried out something in Wutainese, and in his place was a tiny black fox, three tails swishing behind him furiously. Vincent pulled Cerberus from his haori in a fluid motion and Nai Ocha was cornered.

"I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU NOT TO MOVE!" He roared, clicking off the safety; Yuffie whimpered slightly and Nai grinned with apparent insanity. "Look here! She's afraid for her life! Would you like your little princess to die, manwhore? Hmm? Would you like to see her pretty little face all over the floor?"

Vincent growled under his breath, and Riku could've sworn he saw a purple tint pass over his pale skin. Shake, still in fox form, released a shrieking yip. Nai threw back his head and laughed.

"Well, I'll take that as a 'no'. I want Godo Kisaragi on the phone NOW. No one argues, no one gets hurt—"

"That's exactly what I was thinking."

Quick as a bullet, "Estelle" had gracefully swept into the room, Yazoo's silver dagger-gun Velvet Nightmare sliding out of her furisode sleeves and into his hand. Estelle's assistant rushed into the room after her, his toothbrush moustache falling from his lip as Loz's dualhound sparked with electricity on his left arm.

Nai blinked several times, licking perspiration from his lip. "Get that thing away from me… I'll shoot, I swear to God, I'll shoot."  
"I'll shoot first," Yazoo promised silkily, tilting his head to one side. "And you know I will."

The brunette made a tiny noise and made as if to pull his trigger. But before he could barely even twitch, Yazoo slid Velvet Nightmare down his throat, holding it at an angle so that the sharp edge was pressed up against it.

"Put it down." Said the faux redhead as if gently coaxing a child into setting down a toy; yet there was a poison edge to his voice, which implied that if Nai didn't do exactly as he said, he'd find himself with a slit throat and a bullet in his brain.

"Okay…" Nai took a deep breath, nodding slightly to himself and then shouted at the top of his lungs, "RED ALERT! SECURITY! RED ALERT!"

A stretch of souji on every side of the room was thrown open. Half a dozen men the same size as the bouncer from the front stormed in, all clad in the same royal blue uniform. One of them dove straight for Yazoo, whom gracefully glided away, keeping his gun pointed straight at Nai's chest.

Riku whirled around in a crouch, using The Way To The Dawn to take out the nearest thug, springing to his feet to stomp on the man's ribcage with a sickening crunch. The man sputtered and coughed, small flecks of red spraying over his lips just as another one charged for Riku. Kadaj raced up beside his brother and delivered a fierce jab into the man's gut with his elbow. Once he had doubled over, Kadaj grabbed him by the hair and slammed his head into the wall.

On the other side of the room, Shake leapt into the air and shifted fluidly into the form of a youthful girl, dashing up towards one of the men, whom sputtered in surprise.

"M-maria?!" He gasped. Shake grinned sadistically and lunged towards the man, thick claws tearing into his throat and releasing a stead spurt of blood as he hit the main artery. The geisha dressed in blues beside him pulled a thin fan from her obi, flapping it open to reveal that it was a sharp weapon.

Loz was battling the guard that Yazoo had avoided, as well as two others, easily keeping them at bay with a series of powerful punches amplified by the electricity given off by his dual hound. Beside him, Vincent spun around quickly, using his claw to scratch across one of the guard's open eyes before aiming Cerberus at the crazed youth holding his fiancé hostage.

For someone as loud-mouthed and hyper as Yuffie, the ninja was keeping surprisingly still, obviously knowing that even the slightest twitch would set Nai off. Nai himself was in a state of panic, now pressed up against the corner of the room, both Cerberus and Velvet Nightmare aimed directly at him.

"I'm going to shoot her." Nai whispered, "I'M GOING TO SHOOT HER NOW!"

Both Vincent and Yazoo flinched dangerously as Nai threw back his head and laughed once more.

"You see? I _always_ win! Nobody stands a change against the Ocha family—!" His voice hitched suddenly and he began to gurgle, a thick cut that had suddenly appeared across his throat spewing blood out before him. The gun fell from his hand, clattering uselessly to the floor as Yuffie dashed away, feebly shying away from the claret spray. Nai fell to his knees, blood streaming from the corners of his mouth as he clawed desperately at his throat, gasping for air and releasing great amounts of blood with each strained breath before his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he gave one final involuntary twitch.

"You'll have to excuse my elder brother; he's a bit of an idiot." A familiar voice said conversationally and Hearth strode casually into the room from behind a souji. Gale followed dutifully at his heel, twin handguns grasped in either hand. Hearth paused at the lump of flesh that was his brother and nudged him with the toe of his boot. "Well, _was_." The auburn-tressed teen reached up and extracted a razor-sharp playing card from where it was lodged into the wall, tutting softly.

"A bit of a shame, I didn't really mean to kill him. Ah, well. What's done is done." He pocketed the card and turned to the onlookers, all of whom (save for Shake), gaped hopelessly at the finely-dressed young man. Hearth smiled sheepishly and ran a hand through his hair. "I believe a bit of an explanation is in order."

Hearth walked across the room, whispering something to the geisha, whom nodded in reply and urged the guests out. Hearth gestured to his frightened and confused guests as if to tell them to follow him, and they quickly exited the room, leaving the geisha grinning ferally at the conscious guards, crossing the hallway to enter a much less bloody room. Hearth walked until he came to face a wall, spinning on his heels to smile warmly at his guests.

"As you have guessed I am Hearth Ocha, youngest son of the Ocha family. Not only do we own this ancient teahouse, but the successful butler café in town." He sighed softly before continuing. "Our father—Satan torment his blackened soul in hell—left the teahouse to my older, albeit stupider, brother, and the café to me. Upon inheriting it, I turned it into a butler café."

"How does that have anything to do with how you just marched in here and _killed the fuck out of your brother_?!" Kadaj shouted, finally losing his temper. Hearth held out a hand to silence him.

"I was just getting to that part. As you obviously know, the Ocha family has not exactly been the best of friends with the rest of Wutai, catering more towards shady business and dark deals." His face softened. "My mother's family was not the same. My parents were divorced when I was very young, you see, and my mother made sure to raise me to be loyal and true to Wutai. I was to do anything to stop my brother from committing any of the same treasons that my father had. Of course, I always thought he was too much of an idiot to do anything, so I was quite shocked when I heard what was happening this evening from Staniv and I decided to intervene before my brother ended up doing something stupid. Which he did."

Hearth crossed the room to Yuffie, whom looked quite shaken, covered in Nai's blood. Slowly, he lowered himself to one knee and grasped her hand in his.

"Your royal grace, Princess Yuffie Kisaragi. Savior of Gaia and future ruler of Wutai. As soul heir of the Ocha family, I humbly apologize for any inconveniences. I swear eternal fealty to you and my beautiful motherland." Hearth said sincerely, raising his dark claret eyes to meet Yuffie's.

"Um… sure." She said, teetering left to right as Vincent wrapped his arm around her waist to steady her. "I just think I'm going to pass out now."

Hearth stood and smiled sincerely, "You do that."

Yuffie slumped over into Vincent's arms.


End file.
